How to screw up your life: Being an Emperor
by Darth Moya
Summary: Anakin somehow wins the duel with obi on Mustafar and becomes Emperor by deceit. But what about surviving Jedi masters? Would they create a new Rebellion? And what about Palpatines second secret apprentice?
1. Chapter 1: The failure on Mustafar

Chapter One: The failure on Mustafar

Author's note:

Huh, so that's my first fanfic. I had some problems with placing it here [the punctuations haven't appeared], but here it is again and I hope all right now. So, the usual things in the author's notes: Hope you will like that story [but I doubt], I'll be grateful for some reviews, blah, blah blah, the next chapter will be as soon I'll correct it and so on. Please, note that English is not my first language.

Peace, love and Sith,

Darth Moya ^^

"I still cannot believe it." Padme breathed out when she seen the holovideo of Anakin's behaving in the Jedi Temple again. She watched it all the way to Mustafar. Obi-Wan was a bit worried about her, but he was a much more worried about his former padawan. And about galaxy, of course.

They landed next to the black starfighter. It was Anakin's one, undoubtedly, but in the black colour, it looked much scarier. They saw the man in black slowly walking to his landing point.

Obi-Wan let the stairs down and went on the surface. Then he helped Padme down, too. The man was nearby, but he didn't even raise his head. He just walked calmly.

He was ten meters away when he raised his head. It was covered by cape, but one thing was easy to see. Brightly shining eyes with the colour of the melted gold. He killed someone recently. Obi-Wan felt it. Padme looked scared. She slightly snuggled up to Obi-Wan.

Man moved his head a bit. Then he threw his cape down. His eyes were…blue, like usual. It was like some kind of magical play where a magician turns blue scarf green. If you didn't get it, it was Anakin, of course.

"Padme? What are you doing here?"He said. There was nothing in his voice but a clear surprise.

Padme sniffed. "Ani, I have seen what you did to that people in the Temple." Her voice was shaking.

Anakin's face hardened. He looked at Obi-Wan. Did he see a gleam of yellow?

"You showed it to her, did you?" he asked. It wasn't a question at all, he just confirmed something what he knew.

Obi-Wan answered his ice-cold look with a calm of Jedi master. "She has to know who her husband is."

Anakin threw a short sight on Padme. "You told him?"

"Yes. He has a right to know it. I couldn't hide it anymore, not now, when these things are happening." She said. She sounded definitely, but deep inside she was terrified.

Anakin shrugged his shoulders. "If you think so, dear." He sounded normal, like they were talking about what they'll have on lunch today.

Padme raised her brows. He didn't call her like that often. But then she called back the look on the dying kids and peaceful Jedis and Jedi masters. "Why did you do that?"

It was back here-the yellow glare. The remembrance of killing called it back. "It was my master's will. I was just an instrument."

"Instrument? You are just an instrument? You do things just because he wants you to?" Padme seemed really agitated.

Anakin looked at her seriously. "I have no other choice."

"There is still another choice." She said.

"Not for me. If I try to leave, he will kill me. Maybe he can kill you, too. I cannot risk it."

Padme thought of a moment."We must think something out. We can make it together, I know it." She raised her head and looked straightly into his eyes. "Ani, you cannot leave the Republic…or the Empire… in Palpatine's hands! He's evil! I know we can't save Republic anymore, but I beg you, I cannot live with a knowledge that my husband is standing next to someone who destroyed law and liberty in the galaxy!"

"But...I need him, Padme! I need him to save you!"

"Save me?" Padme looked a bit uncertain.

"Yes, I…I had a vision." Anakin said slowly.

"Vision? What vision?"

"That you will die at childbirth."

"Die?!" She was shocked. Why he didn't tell her?

"With Sidious' sith knowledge, I can save you!"

"Ani, my life is nothing oppose to the lives of all that people! You must save them! I know you can do it for me, for our child." She looked down at her belly and gently touched it.

"I can't let you die, Padme. You. Should. Not. Die!" Anakin looked angry. He cut the words and spitted them out like they were dirty. **„**Not like my mother! Not like Qui-Gon, just not!"

"Ani…" Padme whined. She felt helpless.

"That's what you wanted, right?" Anakin turned quickly to Obi-Wan **„**That's why you brought her here, Obi-Wan? You think that she can mollify me? You want me to kill Palpatine, because he's too strong for you, because he unveiled the depravity of the Jedi order. First kill him, and then me. So no one can tell people about what you planned for years."

Obi-Wan looked at him with fatherly look in his eyes. **„**You yourself do not believe it, Anakin. I know you don't."

"Maybe you're a rather right in that. I _cannot_ believe it. You all betrayed us and acted like saints!"

"You're blinded! You cannot see cleanly! The dark side has you in its power. Maybe they were right. You cannot be redeemed." With these words, Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber.

"No! Obi-Wan!" Padme shouted and drew a blaster out from her sleeve. She shot at him. No one can hurt her husband, not even when he's turned to the dark side.

Obi-Wan deflected a shot with no problem, but Anakin utilized the situation, ignited his lightsaber too and made a lunge on him. It almost cut out his ear, but Obi-Wan was fast enough and avoided it. He got in gage quickly and started to push Anakin back.

Padme cleared up from shock and tried to follow them.

"No, Padme! Hold back! This is too dangerous! I can't risk that something should happen to you or the kid!" Anakin shouted at her and briskly blocked Obi-Wan's cut on his head.

First, Padme wanted to continue following them, but suddenly she felt something pushing her back. She fell on her back and quietly groaned.

Anakin and Obi-Wan drew back on the narrow board. It was about five hundred meters down to the hot, hot surface of the planet. They got to the middle of it, when Anakin suddenly jumped behind Obi-Wan's back. He turned and caught his blade with his own. They've got into the blade lock.

Obi-Wan breathed hardly. Anakin was good. Strong and fast, thanks to the dark side. All the anger he had in himself for years just spurted out now and pushed him on his limits.

Anakin pressed heavily. He wanted Obi-Wan to lose his balance and fall down. Obi-Wan repeated his press with difficulties.

Anakin lent forward and looked into his former master's eyes. "Feel it, master? It's all around us. The power. Just release your feelings and make them strengthen you. Just bend to it. You can't withstand it. You need it, don't you feel? **The **_**dark side**_. Why do we call it like that? Why not the_**powerful**_side? The _**right**_ side? There's no dark in it. No hiding. No repression. Just freedom."

Obi-Wan's face showed total satiety. "You're insane, Anakin. It clouded your mind, you cannot think. Do not you see it's destroying you? It's destroying even everything you care for!"

Anakin smiled. But there was no madness in his golden eyes now. Just sadness, anger and regret. "No. Padme is still alive and now she is the only one I care for. She and my kid."

"Aren't you just a bit ashamed, Anakin? You broke the Jedi code when you married her."

Anakin laughed. It wasn't a nice laugh. "Jedi code? What does it mean to be a Jedi? Be a traitor? Be liar? It doesn't matter if you lie to the others or to yourself. It's just a lie. You know, I think that Sith are much more moral than Jedi. They act frankly."

"They are killing people with no mercy! They care only about themselves and their power!"

Suddenly, Anakin pushed Obi-Wan back with the force and freed himself from the lock. He didn't hesitate and jumped to his former master, who lost his balance and tried not to fall down. He felt Anakin's mind beating on his. He didn't know how he did it, but he still heard one word resonant in his head.

_[Liars, liars…]_

Blue blade whirled and severed Obi-Wan's right hand. Obi-Wan shouted in pain. His lightsaber fell down from board, but Anakin caught it with the force and summoned it to his left hand. He raised them to Obi-Wan's neck, as he did it to Dooku. Obi-Wan knew what should succeed.

After a few second of silence, Anakin leant his head on side.

"You should not ask me for mercy?" he asked. The strange tone in his voice was back again.

"You're Sith. I know you'll not give me any."

"Are you sure? You were my master. You taught me for years."

"That doesn't mean anything for you now. You can kill me without hesitation now and here, and you should not spend even a tear for me."

The blades advanced towards Obi-Wan's neck.

"Looks like you still think that you can understand me. But you don't, do you hear me? I am doing this just for Padme."

"No, you don't. You succumbed to the power. You like it. You enjoy being more powerful than people who showed you some authority."

"You deserve slow and painful death, Obi-Wan Kenobi." Anakin said and turned off both lightsabers.

Obi-Wan was clearly shocked. He didn't expect that. Anakin put both lightsabers to his belt. Obi-Wan slowly stood up.

Anakin's hand quickly stirred up and he started to force choke him. He lifted him nearly twenty centimeters above board.

"I forgot to say that maybe I'll give it to you." Anakin said with sadistic grin.

Obi-Wan tried not to swear. He tried to free himself, but Anakin's push was stronger.

_[That's not possible…he can't be so powerful. Not even the dark side can give him such a power. Did he keep it down? Or is someone helping him?] _Obi-Wan said to himself

His mind started to disappear.

When he almost fell unconscious, his feet touched the floor and the push on his neck slowly slackened. He fell on his knees and touched the cold metal board with his forehead. He felt a shadow of a tall man that fell on him. Anakin lend to his ear.

"You're right, master." He whispered. "I can't kill my master. Not now. I still have your Jedi filth on myself. But once I will be strong enough. One day we'll meet again."

Anakin stood up; turned over and walked slowly back to the place where they left Padme. "But this time will be the last."

Obi-Wan carefully raised his head and watched the man in black leaving him here. Without hand, without weapon, without a ship.

_[You were the Chosen One, it was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them, bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness... ]_


	2. Chapter 2: The worst places to be

Chapter Two: The worst places to be

Author's note:

So, the 2nd chapter is finally corrected [what a boring work! :[ ]. If you are reading the second chapter, it looks like you like the first, and that's fine :] As I am reading my work, it somehow looks like Anakin has a double personality. Sometimes he acts like old known Ani and sometimes more like Vader. And it looks like it's really bothering Padme [you'll see in the 5th chapter]. Oh, these are spoilers, right? So sorry, guys! Reviews, pretty please. Hope you'll like that one, gup, gup, gup. I have to stop!

Peace, love and Sith,

Darth Moya

When he got back to the ship, Padme wasn't here. While a bit fussing, he entered the ship.

"Mister Anakin, sir!" he heard.

The golden painted protocol droid walked from the corner and went to him.

"Threepio, don't you know where Padme is?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, sir. She's in the stateroom."

"Thanks." Anakin stepped forward to the door.

Droid stopped him.

"I am not sure if I can let you in, sir."

"Why?"

"Madame Amidala is not feeling well. She kicked me out few minutes ago; she said I'm making her nervous. Can you believe it?"Droid muttered.

"What's up with her?"

"I am not certain, sir. I am just a protocol droid, not a med droid."

Anakin walked over him and walked into the room. Padme was lying on the sofa and held a sack with ice on her head. When the door slammed, she looked up.

"Ani?"

Anakin walked to her, kneeled and took her hand.

"Threepio said you are not feeling well."

"We are alright." She smiled and touched her belly. "I just fell down and hurt my head a bit."

"Fine."

They were silent for some moments.

"Ani," Padme said shakily after awhile. "What about Obi-Wan?"

He didn't answer; just put his hand on his belt, where he had Obi-Wan's lightsaber.

Padme gasped. "He's dead? You…killed him?"

Anakin shook his head. "No. I wasn't…strong enough to do it."

She smiled, handled his chin and raised his head.

"This is not something you should be ashamed for." She whispered and kissed him.

He pulled back and stood up. "We must get back to Coruscant."

Few hundred meters upper, on the glassed platform, a man in a black cloak watched the ship pulling up from surface. The door behind him opened and a man walked in.

Maybe he was handsome before, but now almost fourth of his face was scarred and the scars made wonders with his face. The door clapped, but the cloaked man didn't turn.

"Did you succeeded?" he asked.

"Yes, master. With my help, Skywalker was able to knock him down and then left him there empty-handed."

"He didn't kill him?"

"No, master."

Cloaked man sighed. "His training is not completed yet. I want you to find the Jedi and bring him down, it can be dangerous to let him live. He is much a wildcard."

Scarred man bowed. "As you wish, master."

He turned to the door.

"Wait." cloaked man said drily.

"Yes, master?" Scarred one said with his hand on handle.

"What about her?"

"Are you sure it will work?"

Scarred man was uncertain for a moment, but the second man didn't notice.

"Indeed." He answered finally.

"Fine." The man turned at last. "You will accompany me to my ship and then go and snatch the Jedi. You will take the Skywalker's ship to get off this planet. I can't wait for you here. I must get to Coruscant before them."

Anakin was sitting in the pilot's chair when Threepio rushed to the cockpit.

"Sir, sir!" he shouted.

"What's up, Threepio?"

"It's about senator Amidala, sir. It looks like she has some kind of attack."

"Attack?" he turned on the autopilot system, jumped out from the chair and followed Threepio to the stateroom.

"It's really strange, sir. She is shaking uncontrollably and she has convulsions, too."

"Any special things? Green face, dull eyes or alike?"

"Uh…yes, sir. She has some blue foam at her mouth."

"Blue foam?" that sounded almost like effects of the Blue rose poison, what was popular beneath distinguished people in Chagrian system.

They rushed into the door. Padme was twitching on the edge on the sofa, just a bit sufficed for her to fall on the floor. Her mouth was coated by blue foam extruding from her mouth.

"Padme!" Anakin shouted out and ran to her. He slightly pushed her, so she was not falling from the sofa and turned her, so the foam streamed down to the floor and didn't stifle her anymore.

"Threepio, bring me the medical kit!" Anakin ordered.

Threepio vanished for a moment and then came back with big white case in his arms.

"Here, sir." He gave it to him.

He opened it and searched for the moment. Blue Rose was popular in the Chargian system, because the antidote was not easy to earn here. However, it was common in the Mid Rim systems.

After a while of hectic searching, he finally found a small bottle with brightly pink liquid. He crawled to Padme and poured the liquid between her blue lips.

She hardly swallowed. After while, she stopped shaking and then lent quickly over the edge of the sofa and started to vomit.

It took three long minutes full of disgusting sounds and chuffing, till she stopped.

After that her head fell back on the elbow and she fell asleep, completely tired.

One of the most feared men in whole Empire, Darth Vader, marked time before the doors of the emperor's office.

The nurse said that Padme will be okay, but he wasn't sure about this. He was still frightened by his vision. What if…

His commlink breeped.

He answered, and the hologram of a nice young nurse appeared.

"Lord Vader?"

"Yes?"

"Senator Amidala is giving a birth. She wants you to be next to her."

"They are…beautiful." Padme breathed.

"Yes." Anakin agreed.

The twins lied in their mother's hands, little, cute, rosy, unknowing anything.

"How should we name them?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"You know, I always liked the name Leia. You know, like Leila."

"Leila? What does it mean?"

"Angel of night."

Anakin smiled. "But she was born in noon, right?"

She smiled too. "Who will care?"

"What about the boy?"

"You name him."

"Okay." He laid his hand on his son's top of the head. "As your father, I am naming you Luke Skywalker."

"Naberrie." Padme corrected him. "As you know, no one knows he is your son."

Anakin's face darkened. "You're right. So, Leia and Luke Naberrie. I hope they will be as beautiful as their mother."

Padme smiled at him and patted his face. "I love you, Ani."

"I love you, Padme." He responded.

The oppressive silence was back.

"Ani?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Do you remember what I told you? About Palpatine?"

He tightened. "Yes."

"I thought about it."

"And?"

"I think I have a solution. You have to kill him."

"Palpatine?"

"Yes. I think we do not have any other choice if we want to screen galaxy against him. You have to kill him. Darksider or not, you are still better than him. Kill him, Ani. Save them."

Vader was standing in the ante-room of emperor's office again. I was not easy to see, but he was more nervous than before.

_[You have to kill him. Kill him, Ani…]_

Tall, slim officer walked through the door.

"Lord Vader, the emperor is waiting you in his office."

"Thanks, Solard."

_[Save them…]_

Vader walked through the door.

_A while before…_

"What?"

"As I'm saying, master. He vanished." Scarred man said.

"How?"

"I don't know. I searched everywhere. I wandered through the force. He's not on Mustafar anymore. And he took the Skywalker's starfighter."

Cloaked man breathed out. "Well. I can use the navigation watch light on it to find him."

"What about me?"

"You will take from there. Use your brain."

Cloaked man suddenly jerked.

"Someone is coming. Give me the report soon."

Scarred man bowed. "Yes, master."

Cloaked one turned off the commlink and the big door on his left opened. A man walked into the room, which was mostly red. The man was tall and slim.

"Your Majesty, lord Vader is waiting for audience."

"Let him in." Sidious said.

The man bowed and leaved the room.

Sidious walked slowly to the window and looked out on the Coruscant view suffused by daylight.

Something was still knocking in his head from within. He tried not to notice the pain and concentrate on walking.

Tap, tap, tap, tap…

He reached the door. The cloud of dark side was exceedingly thick behind them. He winked on the two men.

They opened the door and let him in. He walked into Palpatine's office.

"My apprentice." Palpatine said. He stood at window and watched something.

The door closed and Vader kneeled. "Master."

Sidious turned back and looked at him. "I was waiting you earlier."

Vader's look concentrated on the floor. "I know, master. I had some problems."

"Dooku resisted hardly?"

"No, master."

"So what?"

"The Jedi sent Obi-Wan to try to turn me back to their side."

"What have you done?"

"I killed him, master." Vader lied.

Sidious was a bit surprised. He knew Anakin is lying to him, but if he doesn't pay attention, he will not notice the slight disturbance in the force.

"Well. So all the Separatists are executed?"

"Yes, master. Executed in the name of Galactic Emperor."

Palpatine smiled. "Very well. I think I can let you go for now. You can visit senator Amidala, if you want to."

"Thanks, master." Vader said and slowly stood up. It looked that he would turn, but on the last moment he changed his mind.

"Yes?" Sidious asked.

"I wanted to tell you something more. Obi-Wan took Padme with him."

"Really?"

"Yes. And I left the planet with her."

"And?"

"Someone poisoned her, master."

"Do you think that Obi-Wan has something to do with that?"

"I…don't know what to think, master."

"Well, however, we can't ask him anymore. Is something else annoying you, apprentice?"

"Uh, there's one more thing, master. Padme was already delivered by child. Strictly speaking, twins. And… she survived."

Sidious raised his bow. "Really? That's interesting."

"I know. Padme thinks that my vision wasn't a vision at all, that it was some kind of force caution that something have to be changed, is that possible, master?"

"To be sincere, I don't know, but it is really interesting. But you don't think so, do you?"

Anakin shook his head. "No, master, I mean…in my vision, I have seen Obi-Wan standing next to her. Maybe I understood it wrongly and it will happen later."

Sidious raised his eyebrows. "But… that's not possible when Obi-Wan is dead now, right?"

Vader realized his mistake and quickly tried to mask it. "Yes, but… what if he has a clone or… what if he is not dead after all? I mean that I felt that he's dead, but we both know that he's strong in the force. It could be a trick and he's still not dead."

"That can complicate things very much. I can send someone on Mustafar if his body is still here."

"Master, can I go there by myself?"

_[Not much clever, my apprentice, but you were never much smart, did you?] _"Of course, if I'll not need you here."

He bent his head even lower than before. "Thanks, master."

"Well, if that's everything…"

"Actually, not."

"What else do you want, apprentice?" Sidious asked impatiently.

Vader clenched his fists. "I have a message for you, master. From Padme."

Sidious already turned from him and started to search for something on his desk. "Really?" he asked impartially.

Vader drew forward. "She wanted you to know that you're a son of a bitch who doesn't deserve anything than death!" he shouted, drew out his lightsaber and made a quick pass.

Sidious caught his blade with his own. "Think you can beat me, my apprentice?" he hissed.

"I can do _**anything**_." Vader returned and made a couple of quick passes.

Sidious resisted them all, but it was hard even for him, one of the best lightsaber duelists in his time. Anakin was improving fast and now, when he was empowered by dark side…

He was hard to put to it.

It was like instructional video for beginning swordsman. All the moves were perfect, calculated…

…till…

Sidious raised his hand and invoked force lighting. Anakin caught it with his saber, his hand quickly moved and he caught his mentor with his force choke. Sidious groped about a floor with his tiptoes.

"Yourrr….." his words were ceased when Vader's grip stiffened up.

"What? What else do you have to tell me, master?" he screamed.

Sidious freed himself from Vader's grasp and fell on the floor. "You are still too weak to knock me down." He grinded out.

"Do you really think so?" Vader mocked and put his lightsaber over Sidious' neck. "What will you do now, my sithy friend?"

"You…have…no…respect…to your… master." Sidious hurled.

"You deserve no respect from me!"

"But you…deserve…a punishment."

"Yes? Really?" Vader laughed. "From who? From you? Oh, no, master, you are not in the game anymore."

"There are others. They will avenge my death."

Vader raised his eyebrows. "Yeah? Oh, we will see. I will let them try. We'll see if at least one of them will resist more than _two minutes!_"

"You are too self-assured, Vader. You are nothing. You are weak. She's making you weak. Padme is a weight that's pulling you down. You have to get rid of her. Think about it, Anakin. Padme or unlimited power?"

Vader smiled unseemly. "If you knew anything about me, you would know that I'll always choose _her_."

Lightsaber fell a bit below, more closely to Sidious' neck.

"But before I'll kill you," Vader said,"I need something from you."

He quit a hold of his lightsaber with one of his hands and drew something out of his belt. It was datapad.

"I want you to say this:"

Record from personal datapad of Darth Vader, Lord Executor of the Galactic Empire:

_** I, Lord Sidious, the supreme Emperor of the Galactic Empire, want to announce that I was assaulted and critically wounded by unknown group of assassins. It is possible, that they were sent by survivors from the treacherous Jedi order. As my last words, I want to announce that I elect my hand, Lord Vader, my successor and the next Emperor. **_

_***Cough***Cough***_

_** That declaration was uttered on the second day of the third month, year… **_

_***Cough***Cough*** _

Recording Ended.

Vader smiled, not happily, but contentedly. "Well done, master. You did your first useful thing in your life. You can thank the force that your last thing was helpful for people."

"Do you think you are better than me? You are wrong, like always, Vader."

"You don't amuse me anymore." Vader growled and cut through Sidious' neck.

To be sure that he's dead, he cut his body on a little pieces with a sadistic grin on his face. When he was done with him, he fell on his knees and deeply breathed for almost five minutes.

He crossed his edge, he was too brutal and he lost control.

The dark side made an empty monster from him.

A mad smile overflowed his face.

But if was amusing. Yes, he enjoyed it.

If that is power, he loves power.


	3. Chapter 3: Rulers and Tyrants

The nurses and med droids rushed from the room and left Anakin with Padme alone here.

"I am glad to see you alive, Ani." Padme smiled.

"Me too." Anakin replied without any expression on his face.

"Did you…"

"Yes. Palpatine is dead."

Padme hide her face in her hands. "But…what will happen now?" she asked.

"We will rule the galaxy. Together."

She looked up. Her eyes were even bigger than usual. "What?"

Anakin played her back the record of Palpatine's speech.

"You forced him to say that?" she asked.

Anakin nodded. "Yes, because I didn't want galaxy to fall into hands of Palpatine's followers."

Padme sighed. "Well. Maybe it was the only option."

"I haven't seen any other."

"So…when are you going to report it to Senate?"

„As soon as I can. But I want you to be in at it."

„That's nice from you, Ani."She smiled tiredly. „Come more closely."

He came to her and kneeled at her bed. She leant forward and kissed him lightly.

"You will not have to kneel down in front of anyone. No bowing. No more." She whispered and palmed his hair.

He didn't react anyhow and that tossed her.

"Are you okay, dear?" she asked.

"Yes." He responded coldly. "Are you able to walk?"

She shook her hand. "Not now. Maybe tomorrow."

He stood up, bent down, kissed her on forehead and took the liberty to smile a little.

"I'll wait."

Anakin stood on the Emperor's platform in the Senate Rotunda. Padme stood a little behind, dressed in simple white dress. Palpatine's aides, Mas Amedda, Sate Pestage, Sly Moore and Armand Isard stood round him.

Senate accepted the Anakin's declaration as Emperor only with mild protests, mostly from loyalists, Padme's friends. The others were too feared to say something against him.

Padme was concerned about it. Ani was a good man; he was just bluffed by Palpatine.

_Maybe they don't know it. Ani is kind, honest, he's not evil. They just don't know it,_ she told to herself.

Anakin was wearing a black suit and a hood. He looked much more adult. Emperor Vader. The most powerful man in the whole Empire. Her Ani.

Anakin glanced back at her. The shadows under his eyes showed how hard the last days were for him. He had to deny everything he was.

"I love you," she whispered and smiled.

"I love you, too." He answered, then turned back.

Mas Amedda finished his speech.

"Salute to the new Emperor!" he exclaimed. "Hail to the Emperor!"

"Hail to Emperor Vader!" everyone shouted. "Long live the Emperor!"

Anakin stood and received it disinterested. Padme was blushing so much that her head looked like a big ripe cherry.

When the room quieted down, Anakin raised his hand.

"And hail to the Empress Amidala!" he shouted.

While of confused silence.

"Hail to the Empress Amidala!" Anakin repeated louder.

Mas Amedda pushed Padme to Anakin's side.

"Hail to Empress Amidala! Long live Empress Amidala!"

Padme stood with surprise, her eyes widened, she looked at clapping senators. They clapped to her. She raised her hand; like she did in the times she was a Queen of Naboo and waved. Little polite smile, light tilt of head. She recollected her old knowledge of royal etiquette slowly. Anakin watched her with pleasure in his face.

Empress Amidala. Padme realized that she likes the sound of it. _Empress Amidala._

Anakin was sitting on the throne. He was really enjoying the reality that he can. He spent almost all his day in it. He was speaking to ambassadors and senators from planets that sworn their loyalty to his rule.

He looked at the man and woman in front of him. The man was Pretto Kaas, the senator from Ryloth, and the woman was his right hand, Disha Pella. Anakin, in spite of himself, admired Pella's beauty. Her skin was deeply mauve and eyes shiny blue. She looked perfect in her silver and gold clothes.

"We want to utter a total support, which our government wants to afford to you." Kaas said.

"I will be grateful for it, senator Kaas." Anakin replied formally, his eyes still staring on Pella.

Pella blushed and started to stroke her lekku.

Anakin looked quickly on Kaas. "Ryloth is really an important planet and I am glad that it is supporting my government." He said.

"Thank you for your time, Your Majesty."

"I am always free for you, senator Kaas."

Kaas and Pella bowed and leaved the room.

Anakin turned to Sate Pestage.

"Find me something about the woman, Disha Pella." He commanded.

"Can I ask you why, Your Majesty?" Pestage asked stiffly.

"No, you can't. Just do it."

Pestage pressed his lips. "As you wish, my emperor."

Anakin smiled. "Very well. That's exactly what I want."

Door opened and Solard entered.

"Your majesty? An envoy from Dantooine just arrived." He said.

Anakin sighed. "Okay. Let him in, Solard."

Solard vanished in the hall. When he appeared again, he had a woman with him.

"Narusse Rhea, the ambassador from Dantooine." Solard introduced her.

Rhea went straight to him and kneeled. "It's a big pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty." She said.

"The same to you, Ambassador Rhea."

Rhea looked up carefully. She had big dark eyes. "I am here to represent the government of Dantooine." Her hand disappeared for a moment under her cloak, then she drew out a small black box. "This is a gift for you, your majesty. From a wishing people of Dantooine."

Anakin snapped his fingers. Sate Pestage came and took it over.

"Give it to Isard. Let him check it." he ordered quietly.

Rhea smiled. "Smart move, my emperor, but you needn't bother with it. It's a bomb. It will blow up everything in a circle of three miles if you try to open it."

Anakin raised his brows. "Do I have to understand it like attempt to kill me?"

"No, your majesty, you have to take it as a test if our new emperor is not trustful idiot." She said.

Anakin smiled. "Well, I see that inhabitants of Dantooine are not a bunch of morons."

"Certainly not. Or maybe just government of the Palanci Kingdom is not."

"Why they send you? Are you the most useless person?"

"I was a volunteer." Rhea replied.

Anakin didn't ask her why. He saw it's not the best idea. "So, now, when you know I am not just a trustful idiot?"

"We want you to know that Dantooine is wholly loyal to your Empire. We vow a full support to your rule, Emperor Vader."

"I accept your loyalty with thanks. I hope our cooperation will work well, Ambassador Rhea."

Rhea stood up. She was clothed in cloak bordered with golden needlework. She had long red hair and an arrogant expression on her face. She looked almost like Dooku in younger female version. But she was pretty.

Anakin winked. He parted with Rhea and refused other visitors. He was tired and he wanted to see Padme. Something was annoying him.

Anakin sat in front of Padme. She was carrying one of the twins, Leia.

"I think Pestage and other Palpatine's buddies don't want me to be Emperor. It's easy to see that they prefer one of them to sit on the throne."

"I have seen it, too." Padme said. She palmed Leia's head and kissed it.

"What should we do?"

She looked at him and shrugged her shoulders. "I actually don't know."

"I think I have one idea, but I don't know if it's the best thing."

"Yes?"

"Assassinate them."

Padme's eyes widened. "Ani! How could you even think about that?"

His face looked cold. "I thought it's the only safe thing I can do."

"But…you are planning to kill them!"

"I know." He replied. He was fed up with Padme's childish stance.

"But…that's bad, Ani!"

Anakin set his teeth. "I know. But it's a right thing." He said, stood up and went to the door. "I have something to do."

"But, Ani!"

He slammed a door behind him.

"You don't understand _real_ politics." He hissed.

Anakin sat backswept in his chair in former Palpatine's office. The officer in uniform in front of him looked a bit nervous.

"I have reports, sir."

"What reports?"

Officer was concentrated on his hands. "The squad that was tracking Master Shaak Ti lost her."

He straightened up. "Where?"

"On Maridun, sir. They searched everywhere. She's gone."

"How?"

"They don't know, sir. She landed with her starfighter. They shot it to pieces, but there were no marks that she was in. Then they searched for her, but haven't found her."

Anakin lent forward and propped his hand against the desk. "Well…" he said slowly. "Find me commander CT-4065. I want him and his squad prepared tomorrow morning in the docks. They will accompany me to Maridun. I will search for her by myself."

"The best assassins I know?" Tarkin said with surprise. „Why?"

"Even emperor has his enemies." Anakin replied strictly.

"Asajj Ventress." Tarkin said with small smile.

Anakin lashed his hand. "Yes, Ventress was good. She was a great assassin, but she's gone and no one knows where."

"I am not much proficient in these things."

Anakin laughed. "Do you think I am? I was a Jedi, Tarkin."

"I know."

"So you don't know any else?"

Tarkin shook his head. "Sorry, but no."

"Don't know someone with contacts in these quarters?"

"Jabba Hutt."

Anakin laughed again. "You are not trying to help me, do you?"

"I am a soldier, Skywalker. Not politician."

"So politicians know assassins?"

"The good ones do."

Anakin smiled. "I think I know who I can ask."

"You wanted to see me, my Emperor?" Narusse Rhea asked when she entered the room.

"Yes, Ambassador Rhea. Sit down." He pointed at chair in front of his desk.

Rhea sat down, while still watching him attentively.

"So… one of my good friends once told me that the highest politics is all about murders, corruption and thieving."

"He had really sceptic look on world." Rhea replied.

Anakin smiled. "Maybe. One of my friends also told me that the good politicians know well even the...underworld, shall we say?"

Rhea grinned. "You have a really strange sort of friends, my emperor."

"I think that you_ are_ a good politician."

She raised her eyebrows. "Can I know the reason why you called me, Your Majesty?"

"I need a good assassin. For the welfare of Empire, of course."

Rhea smiled. "Yes. Of course."

"So? Do you know any?"

"Sure."

"So you have a database of assassins?"Anakin asked.

"Yes." Rhea responded. She was playing with control of big holoprojector in the middle of the room.

Anakin sat in the armchair. "I'm waiting."

"I'm so sorry, your imperial highness, but I have a problems with data compatibility."

He started to be unquiet when Rhea finally opened the file.

"So, meet my number one." She smiled.

A Zabrak male with a tattooed face appeared. The black markings on his face looked like veining of the butterfly's wings.

"This is Arson Rissus. Zabrak assassin from Dathomir. He was outcast by the tribe of Nightbrothers. He's a fair sharpshooter. Good in killing on the long distance."

"Nightbrother?"

"Yes. Want him?"

Anakin rubbed his chin. He hasn't shaved himself from Mustafar. "Maybe. Show me the other ones."

She touched the control. This was human male, thin-bodied, pale and with goddamn much well-developed muscles on hands.

"Number two. Colich Brask. It is rumoured that he's from an honourable family. The sure is that he's a pet of Jabba the Hutt. I think he's from Corellia. Can kill a man in minute without a sound."

"I like this one."

"Well, do you want me to contact him?"

Anakin smiled. "Yes." This was exactly what he wanted. He didn't want to send former Palaptine's people or even put himself into that. The fact that she proposed that she will do it by herself made the things easier. He liked that woman.

She smiled. "Your wish is my command, my lord. I will be your hand in that." She touched the control a few times. "So, do you want to see the others?"

"Yes, I need three more."

She raised her brows. "Three?"

"Yes. Do you have any problems with that?"

"Of course not, your majesty." She said with a bowed head.

"Well. So, show me the other ones."

"Indeed." A few taps on the control pad... "Number three..."

"Minute."

"Yeah?"

"How many people by the stars you have on your list?"

She blushed. "Wait a minute; I'll have a look...twenty-three."

"Are you using all of these contacts?"

"Of course not, I have them just because I want to know the best in the business."

"Twenty-three people?"

"Well, I took some of these contacts just to have them."

"Okay. Go on."

"So, Number three...Aurra Sing."

Anakin languidly browsed through the files Rhea gave to him.

He read the last page of the file he had now and threw it on the desk. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and sighed. Padme had some diplomatic session. She performed her pose as empress with singular grace.

He swept the files with his hand. It was files of assassins Rhea hired for him. They were four.

Colich Brask, Aurra Sing, Donci Farha, Peemca.

He knew just the second one, Number Three, Aurra Sing. She was well-known enemy of the Jedi order. And she even tried to kill Padme once. But she was good and there was no place for personal spite.

Solard went into the room.

"Your Majesty?"

"Yes, Solard?"

"Her imperial highness, empress Amidala, wants to see you."

"At my place or do I have to go to her?"

"She's waiting in the ante-room."

Anakin swayed his arm. "Stupid! She can enter anytime! She's your lady!"

Solard blushed and bowed stiffly. "Of course, my lord. I'm really sorry, my lord. I'll let her in at once, your majesty."

Anakin rolled his eyes and rested. "Just go away." He said quietly. He was a bit ashamed he's venting his frustration on him.

Officer bowed again and disappeared in the door. A little while afterwards, Padme entered.

She was beautiful in black and silver dress. She didn't look as tired as Anakin did.

"Hello, dear," She said.

"Hi, Padme." He responded with his eyes closed.

She sat in front of him. "You look tired."

"I _am _tired."

"Something bad happened?"

He sighed. "No, not at all, but I haven't slept much lately."

"I am so sorry for you."

He smiled. "You don't have to be." _[And it will not help me at all.] _He breathed out slowly and finally opened his eyes. He lent forward. "So, you needed something?"

"I had a call. From Lani Re Kha, the Queen Mother of Hapes Consortium."

"Hapes Consortium?"

"Didn't hear about it?"

"Oh no, of course I did, but I thought it is isolated, that they don't even establish commercial ties. Why did she call you?"

Padme tittered. "Well, it looked like she didn't call me at all. She still wanted to speak to_ you_."

"To me?"

"Yes. She didn't take notice to the fact I am a diplomatist here. No offence."

"I didn't see it like offence."

She smiled. "Maybe that's your problem. In diplomacy, you have to see almost everything like offence."

"And in high politics, you can't look on everyone like on your friend."

Her smile vanished away. "You mean that assassinations?" she swayed her hand. "No, I don't want to know anything about it. Just don't speak about it and maybe I can take it."

"I think you have to take it."

"Hmm."

"So, what else about our hapan royal friend? What did you speak about?"

"Just about unimportant things. Like that they have noticed that your rule has much more support the Palpatine's. She said that she's not much surprised, but refused to tell me why."

"Maybe she likes me."

"Oh, you really believe yourself, do you, honey?" she said like she is speaking to a little kid.

"That was really nasty, Padme!" he smiled.

She repeated his smile. "I'm sorry, but I still have some work and I forgot to tell you the main point: She wants you to call her as early as you can." She said and stood up.

He stood up, too. "I think I'll visit kids, first."

"Breha is baby-sitting them. I'll call her that you'll come."

"That would be great."

They left the room together. They finally felt like pair once again.

"Breha Organa, right?" Anakin asked when he entered the room.

Breha Organa was sitting on the chair next to cots. Now she stood up and bowed becomingly.

"Yes, my lord."

Anakin smiled. "Oh, no, you don't have to bow in front of me, Madame Organa. You are a family friend."

She righted herself. "That's nice from you to say that, Your Majesty."

"I think lord Vader would be more fitting, Madame Organa."

"Okay, lord Vader. No needless familiarities, right?"

"Yes."

"Padme said you'll come to visit the tots, but they are sleeping right now."

"No matter. Just wanted to see them."

She stepped aside and Anakin came forward and lent to Luke.

"I am sure you will be a great Jedi or a great sith once." He whispered and palmed his head. "But you have to understand one: You can never escape your fate. We have a destiny. We can't deny it."

He straightened up. He _tried_. And _failed_.

Then he bended to Leia.

"You have such a beautiful name, do you know? You will be still my angel, Leia. Like your mother. You are so much like her. Once you will be a beautiful woman. Jedi or diplomat, tyrant or sith, who cares? You will be great in anything you are predestined for. I love you, my honey."

Breha stood aside and tried not to hear anything Vader is telling to the sleeping infants. But she still heard the words sith, fate and tyrant. _[That doesn't sound good,]_ she told herself.

Anakin stepped aside and looked at his kids. They were cute when sleeping. He smiled a little. He turned to Breha.

"I have some work. See you later, Madame Organa."

"See you later, lord Vader."

Anakin turned, his black cloak twirled and he walked quickly to the door. When he reached the exit, he turned his head to Breha.

"And, Madame Organa?"

"Yes, lord Vader?"

"Don't tell Padme about our deal, right?"

Breha raised her eyebrows. "Of course, lord Vader, though I don't see anything bad on it."

Anakin smiled unhappily. "Padme will."

Tall woman, long, tressed hair red like tomatoes, emerald green eyes, very pale skin, nicely shaped lips and practical sea green dress with golden belt.

That was Lani Re Kha.

Anakin wasn't amazed. It looked like Lani Re is a bit disappointed 'cause of that.

"Good evening, your Highness." He said with a slight bow.

"Good evening. I suppose I am speaking to Lord Vader, the supreme Emperor of the Galactic Empire?"

"Nicely said. And you're right. I am Lord Vader."

"Well."

"And you are Lani Re Kha, the Queen Mother of Hapes Consortium, right?"

"Myself."

"I heard you and Empress Amidala had some difficulties with communication."

"Really?"

"Yes, she said you wanted to speak to me and not to her."

Lani Re smiled. It was a beautiful smile, but it looked like Vader hasn't notice. "Oh, this was just a misunderstanding. She just couldn't take that I want to speak to someone who is really...important here."

"She is important. She's my second half. The more pleasant and peaceful one."

"I am sure you don't need any."

"You would be surprised."

Lani Re moved her lips. "Maybe. However, now, when I can finally speak to the Emperor himself, we can discuss the cause why we broke our isolation for this moment and tried to establish some connections between our territories."

"What connections?"

"I think we can start with opening our borders to your merchants for a start."

"Well, I think this can be useful for both sides, but, if I can ask you, why?"

"Though Empress Amidala doesn't know about it, she's related with high members of Hapan Royal Court. And we still had good relations with her. I have to say, that I am sure you will be more open to requests and needs of your inferiors. And to advices of your allies, what a Hapes Consortium wants to become."

"What a glamorous speech, your Highness."

"Do you agree?"

"Yes, I think this can do no harm to my Empire."

"Well. As we want to open the connections, I think we have a right to know what happening in centre of things, on Coruscant."

"Of course. Do you want me to contact you regularly?"

Lani Re smiled. "Though I would be grateful to see you more frequently, Lord Vader, I meant if you will agree with emission of an envoy from Hapes to Coruscant, who will hand me information about events on Coruscant."

Anakin glanced back at Padme, which Lani Re didn't see. Her eyes were narrow, she chewed over every possible consequences. She raked her complicated hairdo with her hand, sighed quietly and nodded.

"I agree, my Queen." he said to Lani Re.

"Well. Very well. The envoy will arrive in next three weeks."

"Then we will await him and prepare for his admission."

"So, see you later, Lord Vader."

"I am looking forward to our next meetings."

Slim stature of Lani Re Kha disappeared.

Anakin breathed out and turned to Padme.

"So? What do you think about it?"

"That you were smart when you asked me to come and stand by."

He smiled. "Thanks. But what do you think about Kha? Do you know what her purposes are?"

She waited a while till she answered. "Maybe. It's sure she wants to know all the events at first hand, not out of focus. Of course she doesn't want to know the version of things that make a good man from you."

"That's not something unforeseen."

"Of course not. But I still don't know why she suddenly cancelled the isolation. The story she told you is unlike and I don't know anything about my Hapan relative and trust me, this is something I would know^."

"But if it's not true, why she did it?"

She rubbed her hair again and started to play with pearled tear hung on her diadem. "I don't know. Maybe she thinks she can manipulate with you somehow. Perhaps via this envoy." She looked straight into his eyes. "Beware of him, Ani, and perhaps nothing will happen."

"Okay. I will follow your advice, Padme." He came to her and hugged her. She sank into bends of his tunic.

"I am so, so tired, Ani."

"I know. We will stop this madness for now."

Padme left the room while still in his arms. She felt that Anakin is still someone she can prop against.

"Obi-Wan wasn't right."

"What?"

"Obi-Wan wasn't right. You can still come up on the light."

Anakin didn't respond. He wasn't strong enough to tell that he_ doesn't _want to come back into the light side.

Author's note:

To the reviews: Thanks for the remark about my English, I'll try to do something with it.

Another one's here. Hoped you liked it, guys. I'll welcome some critique. And one note: If you think you know what will succeed, you're wrong. ] Don't know what to add. Wait the new update soon!

Next time: Hunt on Shaak Ti!

Peace, love and Sith,

Darth Moya ^^


	4. Chapter 4, part one: Shaak Ti Chase

Maridun: To the last breathe

Anakin walked down the ramp to the landing point. Two squads of troopers in green camouflage armour waited here. The man at the head with yellow commander stripes was CT-4065, usually called by his nickname, Azal*. Anakin knew him, he was under his command in the hell of the battle on Tynna.

"Good morning, Azal."

Two squads and their commander kneeled.

"Your majesty," Azal said.

"Raise, you all." Anakin ordered.

Azal raised and saluted.

"Your report?" Anakin asked.

"Your Grand Admirals afforded you two squads of the best trooper, your majesty. All under my command, as you ordered. Squads Alpha-nine and Delta-B, at service."

"I wanted the 501st. They knew it."

"501st have some work on Phaeda, under command of Admiral Tarkin."

"I didn't get any echo about that."

"I am sure you did. We sent you a message about the raid on the Jedi hidey hole. It's confirmed that there's about eleven Jedi Knights and masters."

"Impossible. They all survived Order 66 _and_ a raid on the Jedi Temple?"

"Evidently."

"Well, so we have to settle with this crew of amateurs."

"They are not so bad, my lord. When you don't count 501st, they are one of the best."

"Okay, okay. We have to leave immediately. We just leave Shaak Ti a headstart."

Anakin get out of the ship and jumped on the surface. They landed just in middle of extensive plain. No Lurmen village nearby and no animals. Anakin felt a bit insecure because of that, but he suppressed the bad feelings. He turned to his men.

"Well. We will divide on two halves. Squad Delta-B with Azal, Alpha-nine with me. Azal, lead us to the point where the scout team saw her for the last time. Then you will stay here and we will look for Shaak Ti."

"Yes, sir." Azal replied.

Azal leaded them to the deepest part of rainforest, what meant that the always spare rainforest started to be almost like common one. Then he stayed here with Delta-B.

Anakin was nervy because he didn't felt Shaak Ti here. He ran in front of a group, accelerating his run with force. Black shadow weaved its way between the high trees, searching through force to find Shaak Ti's tracks. He jumped on the tree and looked round.

His commlink beeped.

"Yes?" he asked grumpily.

"Sir, we have a problem here. A bunch of mastiff phalones attacked us!"

"Deal with it by yourself, lieutenant. I don't have time for you."

He turned the commlink off and jumped back down. He felt a gleam of something eastwards. He ran to the point.

"Shaak Ti! Show yourself, you dirty Togruta bitch! Don't be a quitter!" he shouted.

He arrived on a round forest glade. Here, in circa one meter high stone, a square screen was set-in. He pressed a button in the side. A haggard face of Shaak Ti appeared on it.

"Hello. Were you looking for me? I am sorry, but I am not here anymore."

Anakin set his teeth.

"Are you fed-up? I am so sorry. Want to catch me? My next stand will be on Arda. Will you be fast enough and get me here? Catch me, Vader, and maybe I will admit that you are really good. Catch me. If you can."

Her face disappeared again.

"You sly whore," Anakin snarled.

He picked up his commlink and called Azal.

"Back to ship. We are heading to Arda." He commanded.

"Sir! Finally!"

"So you solved your problem with phalones?"

"So so. Four men are dead."

"How many men we have now?"

"Twenty in Alpha-nine squad. Forty five in whole expedition."

"We can live with that. Collect yourself, we are getting back to ship."

"Not so fast, messieurs."

This was someone else, and the sentence was said with pidgin Basic.

Anakin and CT-9020, the trooper he spoke to, turned. A small, about one meter high un-human being stood on the branch above them. It was a grey-haired Lurmen in golden dress.

"My name is Tani Pee Koo. I am a senior of my tribe." Lurmen continued.

"What's this weeny monkey?" CT-9020 asked.

"It's not a monkey, Gard. It's Lurmen." Anakin scored him off. "It's an honour to speak to you, Tani Pee Koo. I hope you will let us go and don't make yourself any problems with the Empire."

Tani Pee Koo raised up his bearded chin. "Maybe we do." He said slowly. Then he shouted something in Lurmese.

Anakin turned to Gard, clone troopers had a universal translator in their equipment. "What he said?"

"Something like: Now." Gard answered.

Plenty of small furred Lurmens emerged from the forest.

"What?" some trooper yelped.

Tani Pee Koo shouted something again, still in Lurmese.

"Now he said something like: Detain them!" Gard explained helpfully.

Lurmens started to run around them, so fast that they made an uninterrupted fuzzy circle that they couldn't pass.

"Why detain us? What we don't have to catch?" Anakin said to himself quietly. Then he realized. Catch. Shaak Ti's cover shivered. Anakin now felt her clearly. She was running away. Just right now she was leaving the planet. On the place where a Lurmen village was.

"You were hiding her! Traitors! You were hiding Shaak Ti!" he shouted on Tani Pee Koo.

Tani Pee smiled and showed his small, sharp teeth. "We help everyone who wants to keep the peace." He dipped into his vest and drew something out and threw it to Anakin. "A gift from Master Shaak Ti!" He caught it artfully. It was a screen. It looked like the one he found in the rock. He turned it on.

Another face of Shaak Ti. This one was more rested, maybe even calm.

"Uh, hello, Vader. Off, so, if you are watching this, it means that I successfully escaped Maridun. That was close! You know what? When I left the first message here, I found out that I am too wounded and can't leave now. The nice Lurmen tribe let me stay at them. Today they finally said my wounds are okay and that I can leave. And know what? When I went to my ship, you and your buddies appeared. Oh, you must be so disappointed. You had such a chance! Too bad for you. Enjoy my gift. See you on Arda, Vader. If you will be so fast and be here earlier than me. But you must be really fast. I will leave in the twinkling of an eye. I'm not going to let you catch me with one hand behind back."

Face disappeared.

Anakin threw the screen up and cut it in halves. He looked up at Tani Pee Koo, who grinned at him derisively.

Tani Pee Koo shouted command in Lurmese.

"Speed up." Gard translated.

Lurmens stood up for a while and then rolled to the wheeled shape. They started to roll round them. It was even faster than before.

"What are you waiting for, idiots? Slay them all!" Anakin yelled.

"They are too fast! We can't aim!" Gard answered.

"Just shot into the circle, dunce!" Anakin shouted. Then he drew out his lightsaber and jumped on the branch next to Tani Pee Koo. Tani Pee caught his first chop with the wristlet he had on right arm. Anakin realized it must be made from cortosis.

"Another gift from Master Shaak Ti." Tani Pee simpered.

Anakin gripped the hilt of his lightsaber more tightly. In three more cuts, he hacked Tani Pee Koo to pieces. With a horrifying smile on his face, he jumped elegant flip down and helped his troopers finish off the last surviving Lurmens. A few of them escaped, but they didn't care.

Anakin pulled out his blade from a chest of last Lurmen. Gard and his crew stood already in a row. He looked at them with his brows raised.

"What are you waiting for here? Back to ship!" he said. The whole crew turned and followed his order.

The ship took off. Anakin stared from the window, half of his mind concentrated on Shaak Ti, the other pieces shattered between Padme, kids, his plan of assassination of Palpatine's buddies, Rhea and her intentions, Lani Re Kha and her intentions and the delight of killing. How could he feel like that? He felt a bit like a monster.

He palmed a hilt of his saber. "Want to play hide-and-seek, Shaak Ti? Well, but remember that: I never lose."

*. Azal is a shortcut for "azalus", what means dangerous in huttese.

Author's note:

This chapter is finally finished. [uff.] Well, though this is chapter is named Shaak Ti chase, we haven't seen Shaak Ti in this chapter, right? I'm sorry for that. No matter, hope we'll see her next time on Arda. Reviews, please. I update as fast as I can, I have part two already prepared.

Peace, love and Sith,

Darth Moya ^^


	5. Chapter 4, part two: Shaak Ti Chase

Arda 1: Hands of cowardice

"Why do you think you'll find her here?" Azal asked and suspiciously eyed a statuette of extremely fatty man with seven hands thick as hutt's tail.

"I feel her here." Anakin answered and lively crept under collapsed column. A stony dust and sand flittered in the air. Where the roof was slumped, daylight leaked to the room. In these stripes of light Anakin saw the tiny dust motes and emerald and sapphire beetles that made their home here in thick growth of vine that penetrated here through windows.

"Sir?" Azal made himself heard.

"Yes?" Anakin replied, still searching among the shambles for Shaak Ti.

"Perhaps you will like to see it by yourself."

Anakin suddenly appeared behind him in one of the light stripes. "Yes, Azal?"

Azal twitched. "Here, on the statuette's back." He showed.

Anakin went round the statuette. "Blast it!" he yelped.

A screen was imbedded in the statuette's back. Anakin, more from habit than wittingly, turned it on.

"Come, come, Vader. You are really vicious. I felt everything you did to the poor innocent Lurmens. Are you proud of yourself?"

"You pulled them in." Anakin answered, though he knew it's just a record.

"As you realized of course, I am already gone, or on the way to my ship. You can make yourself sure if you want. It's five hundred steps northwards from the Albuzzir's Temple."

"Hey, Azal!"

"Yes, sir?"

"Send some troopers to look for Shaak Ti's ship. It will be about three hundred meters northwards from here."

"Course, sir."

"If I am not here, I am certainly on the way to my next stop. Have you ever been to Galidraan? Nice place. I have to go, I feel you're arriving. So long, Vader, so long."

Screen darkened. Anakin jabbed his lightsaber in it. When he was pulling it out, he felt a strange twitch in the force. He plunged quickly to the side and started to squeeze through the ruins to the exit.

"Follow me! Something is happening!"

He rushed to the exit, the door wrested from hinges. He ran over them. Now he heard shooting and buzzing of a lightsaber. He ignited his one and speeded up. When he arrived, the six bodies of clone troopers lied on the grass, no dead, but all heavily injured. Shaak Ti just jumped into her starfighter and tried to emblaze the engines quickly.

"Shaak Ti! If you have any virtue, get out of the ship and fight me!"

Engines kicked on and ship jerked. Shaak Ti balanced it and shot up like projectile.

"Hang it all!" Anakin screamed and fell on his knees. The shock wave Shaak Ti made at her rapid start knocked him down.

"We have a wounded here!" Azal shouted when they appeared.

Medicos rushed to them.

"All can be alright, when we will dress their wounds now."

"No time for it!" Anakin interposed. "We are going to Galidraan. Now. Wounded just hold us off. They are dead anyway."

His leaving didn't left any place for discussions, so they obeyed without any protest and followed him back to ship.

Anakin turned on a holoprojector on a wristlet he took from Tani Pee Koo. He checked through the store of it, but he didn't find anything interesting. Then he called Padme.

"Hello, Ani." She said. She spoke still; it was hard to understand her.

"Everything okay, Padme?"

"Uh…no. I mean… they…they found Armand Isard."

"He disappeared?"

"Oh, no. They found him…dead. In his office. Shot to death. Three shots in head. Pretty nasty to see, I can tell you. Funeral will be next week. His daughter, Ysanne invited you to it."

"Okay."

"Ani?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you have a finger in the pie?"

"Looks like." [_Smart girl, that Rhea. She arranged that murder on the time I wasn't on Coruscant.]_

Padme sighed. "How are you going in the hunt for Shaak Ti?"

Anakin bit his lip. "Uh…we're going well, but it looks like it will drag on a bit. I'll send you a word when I'll arrive."

"Okay, dear. Just…be careful."

"I'll try."

"Well. So, I'll not disturb you any longer. Bye."

She hung it up before he could say anything.

Author's note:

Well, I put Shaak Ti into this chapter, though for just a while. Don't know if Shaak Ti was such a coward or what, but she escaped of Vader-guy. Will Vader catch her finally on Galidraan? We'll see :)

This one was short, huh? Didn't know how to extend it. Hope the next one will be better.

**Next time:** the third part of Shaak Ti Chase- **Galidraan: The last stand?**

Peace, love and Sith,

Darth Moya ^^


	6. Chapter 4, part three: Shaak Ti Chase

Galidraan: The last stand?

Anakin tumbled the sheer slope. He was directed at spacious snowy forest. He was so, so sure that Shaak Ti is still here, maybe recording next message. He would be grateful for any swoop or speeder; he would not care if it's slow or poorly controllable. Anything but this silly running. He finally plunged into the forest. No swoop was enough thin to wave its way through such a thick forest, so he repelled these thoughts. He fluently avoided the trees. Just a few more steps and he will hunt her down. Shaak Ti. This will be your last stand, Togrutan strumpet.

He slowed down. Few last steps he sneaked between the trees. Shaak Ti kneeled on the snow.

"One more stand, Vader. But you have to guess this one…" she was just saying.

"I don't think so." He said and drew out his lightsaber.

"Master!" someone shouted. A Zabrak girl smashed into him from side.

Shaak Ti raised her head. "Vader!" she barked out. She embosomed the screen and looked at him with her eyes widened.

"Run, Master! I'll distract him!" Zabrak girl shouted and ignited her lightsaber tonfas.

"No, Maris! He'll kill you!" Shaak Ti replied.

"You are more important! Don't be a fool, master! There's nothing left for me here."

Shaak Ti looked at her. "Fine. Be careful. May the force be with you, Maris Brood."

Anakin already found his old balance and tried to run to Shaak Ti.

Maris walked in his way and blocked his lightsaber with her tonfas. "Run, Master!"

Shaak Ti disappeared. Maris skillfully prevented every his try to follow her.

"And who are you, little girl? Another Shaak Ti's buddy?"

Girl fought stiffly. "I am Maris Brood." She said with her teeth fastened.

That reminded Anakin something. When he was in the Watto's shop and talked to Padme for the first time, she asked his if he's a slave. He answered his name is Anakin. Is this girl in the same situation he was in?

"I have a deal for you."

"Not dealing with imps."

Anakin smiled. "I can give you a good job. Not safe, but I see you don't hold on it."

"What job? Hunting innocents?"

"Exactly."

"Never."

Anakin pushed her with the force. She fell on her back. He laid his foot on her chest and pushed Maris' hands down with the force. He swung his lightsaber's blade above her neck.

"Think better of it."

"Never."

"Dark side is so mighty. You never felt the power of it, trying to seduce you?"

"No. And I am not interested."

Anakin turned off his lightsaber. He kneeled and gripped her neck by his hand. She started to choke.

"Feel it!" he breathed out in her face. He tried to surround her by his power, let her feel it touch her skin, heal her, free her, empower her.

She choked, tried to bear up against it, fling him down and free herself from his grip.

He bent closer to her. He felt how she slightly quake for cold.

"Do you feel it?" he whispered straightly in her face.

"Yes." She rattled.

He felt how something in her broke. It connected them for a moment. He offered her a power and she gobbled it. She freed one of her arms and pull him back with the force. He laughed rough.

"Well, well." He smiled and stood up. Connect shattered, but Anakin still felt her.

It took a while to Maris to collect herself and stand up, too. Her breaths were still hoarse.

"Maris Brood." He said.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Do you want to become my apprentice?"

She looked at him, big, now slightly orange eyes widened. She bit her lip. It looked like she will start to cry. But then she kneeled on one knee. "Yes, my lord."

"Rise, my apprentice." He said.

Maris stood up a bit shakily.

"Are you able to walk by yourself?"

"Yes, master."

"Well. We must go and find the last clue. Or…"

"No, I don't know where she wanted to go, master." Maris answered the untold question.

_[She is lying to me], _he realized. [_She's young, strong, proud, hard and she's a rotter by nature. Great material for sith apprentice.]_

"Well, if you don't…she went this way."

"Okay, Vader-guy, you caught us now and Maris is most likely dead now, but you still don't have me. So, the riddle for the next rendezvous point. This will be the last. I'll wait here, even if I have to wait here for years. So: Two innocent lives ended here. One loving the water and everything in it, the second leaded by light. The nights are double beautiful on this planet. Turqoise and hazel. Camino, Hypori, Quell, Maridun. Hero of this all, one of them died here by dishonorable death. Survived Geonosis, battled Asajj Ventress, Grievous, and then shot to back by own troopers. Battled dark side and won. Loved and lost it, because knew well that order is more important, mostly in the war. A smoke in the air, a mist. Know what it is?"

Anakin destroyed the last screen, just to spend some time.

"Do you understand it, master?" Maris asked.

"Not much." Anakin answered truly.

"Not even any ideas?"

"Uh…maybe one. Turqoise and hazel. One of the Jedi Knights, Aayla Secura, a Twi'lek girl, had a blue, rather turquoise skin and hazel eyes."

"That can be. Was she on Geonosis?"

"I am not sure, but it's possible. I was with her on Quell. And on Maridun. And she was certainly on Hypori."

"What about that "loving water" thing?"

"I think she was in love with someone…Kit Fisto, I think. But it didn't end much romantically. They decided that there's no place for love in war and gave it up. Kit Fisto was a Nautolan."

"Oh, sure. And did she battle the dark side?"

"Don't know anything about it."

"But that don't mean much...You said her name is Aayla?"

"Yes. Was."

"Uh…sorry. It's usual Twi'lek name. One my Twi'lek friend once told me it means a mist. Maybe that was meant in the riddle."

"Great, so we have everything, except…"

"The leaded by the light?"

"No. I don't know where Aayla died, nor even who died here with her."

"Do you have any records about this?"

Anakin raised his hand with Tani Pee's wristlet and called Pestage.

Anakin sat in the ship with Maris Brood in front of him. She had a blanket wrapped around her chilled body. Her eyes were attentively studying him from top to toe.

"This is irritating me, Maris." He said coldly, while didn't even looked up from the files.

She looked at her knees. "I'm sorry, master."

"Something hold your interest on me?"

"You…you look like Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi hero from the Clone Wars."

Anakin cracked a smile. "That's maybe because I_ was_ Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi hero from Clone Wars." He laid the files down. "But now, I am Darth Vader, the Emperor of almost whole known galaxy." He looked straight into Maris' eyes. "That's what the dark side does with you."

The moment of silence wanted not to end.

"By the way, I found it." Anakin said as if nothing had happened.

"Really, master?"

"Yes. Aayla Secura died on Felucia. That's not so far."

"And who died here with her?"

"Barriss Offee, the padawan of Luminara Unduli."

"Ah, light-Luminara. Understand."

"I would be surprised and frustrated if not." He replied coldly and drew out his commlink. "Azal? Tell pilot that we are going to Felucia."

Author's note:

Okay, I let Shaak Ti escape Vader-guy again just because I wanted to end it on Felucia, honestly. So, Maris Brood became Vader's apprentice. Frankly, I haven't planned it, but it just happened while I write this chapter. Hope no one will complain. The Shaak Ti's riddle is awkward, I know, but I wanted to put Aayla Secura here somehow. So I did it by this riddle. All the things mentioned in it are verified.

Reviews, please!

**Next time:** The **last part** of Shaak Ti Chase- **Felucia, the place of honour (or horror)**

Peace, love and Sith,

Darth Moya ^^


	7. Chapter 4, part four: Shaak Ti Chase

Felucia: The place of horror or honour?

"You stay in the ship." Anakin said to Maris when he jumped out of the ship on the grassy ground.

"No, master! I'll follow you. Even if you would go to the very hell." Maris said proudly and jumped next to him.

Anakin turned to her. His nose almost touched hers. "Loyalty is a good thing, Maris, mostly in war, but listening to orders is maybe better sometimes."

"I understand, master." Maris replied respectfully and went to the ramp.

He caught her arm. "One more thing. The most important thing in _every_ situation is common sense. If I wanted you dead, I would kill you on Galidraan and not bring you here."

"I feel you, Shaak Ti. Don't try to hide." Anakin said and carefully walked about with his lightsaber ignited.

"I am not hiding." Shaak Ti replied and appeared behind his back.

"Finally facing you. You know, every time I found next screen, I hoped that I'll once tell you what occurred to me when I found it."

"You can now." Shaak Ti said.

"You are a treacherous, sly, filthy Togrutan bitch. It will be an honour to me to execute you."

Shaak Ti grinned derisively. "I feel the same for you, my sithy friend."

"I am not one of your followers, Shaak Ti." Anakin said and tried to cut away her head.

"Like Maris? She was a good girl. Bit unbalanced, but still turned-up to light! Her life was still in face of her. You stole it!"

"I didn't."

Shaak Ti lost her calm balance for a while. "What?"

Anakin smiled. "I didn't kill her. Your dear little Maris turned to the darkness. She can be useful."

Shaak Ti's big, black eyes reflected her shock. "Maris...I thought I saved you. You were so calm, so reconciled to death."

Anakin wringed her shoulder.

"You! You linked you with her. Let her share your darkness. You monster! She could be accepted in the Force, but now she's drowning in darkness!" She shrieked at him.

"As an Emperor of the Galactic republic, blessed by the Force, I condemn you, former Jedi Master Shaak Ti, to death!"

Blue whirring blade crossed her body closely below her ribcage.

"No..." Shaak Ti breathed out quietly.

Anakin caught her before she can fell on her knees.

"Let this abyss be your tomb." He said chilly and pushed her to the Ancient Abyss.

The scream that went along her fall was perhaps the scariest sound he ever heard. When she reached the bottom of an abyss, her body exploded in the strong blue light. Anakin turned and covered his eyes. When it disappeared, he turned back and looked into the abyss.

"Goodbye, Shaak Ti, the foxiest of all Jedi Masters I have known." He said and spitted at it.

He reached the ship. Maris was restless. She ran to him and embraced him.

"Master! You're alive!" she whispered eagerly. "Something...strange happened...a big disturbance in the force... I was so feared...something happened to you..."

Her speech was very disconnected.

He got out of her embrace and recoiled from her. "Mellow, Maris." He said chilly.

She stiffened. "I'm sorry, master, I didn't control myself. Excuse me."

"That's better. Everything is okay. Shaak Ti's dead. Mission completed. We're going back home."

"Of course, master. What about me?"

"I'll continue your training. You'll live on Coruscant in the Royal Palace."

"Thank you, master. You're so liberal."

"Don't magnify, Maris."

"Yes, my lord."

Anakin slowly walked up the ramp, Maris closely behind him. She noticed he's limping a little.

"Are you okay, master?"

He looked at a long crack in his trousers. "It's okay. She just creased me a bit."

"I'll dress it."

"No. Not necessary. Deliver my orders to pilot and Azal. I'll take care of myself by my own."

Maris bowed. She was dressed in free suit borrowed from troopers. Anakin wondered it holds on her.

"Your wish is my command, master."

"That _was_ a command, Brood." Anakin settled her down.

Maris blushed. Anakin entered his room and slammed the door shut.

"Anakin. Finally." Padme said reservedly.

"It's a pleasure to see you too, Padme." Anakin answered cheesedly.

Padme did like she doesn't hear his tone. "So? Are you _finally _coming back home?"

"Yes. My mission here is completed. And I am taking my new friend with me."

Padme bristled up. "New friend? Who?"

"Don't know if you know her. Her name's Maris Brood."

"Maris Brood? Are you already so much bored in our marriage that you already found a lover?"

"She's my apprentice, Padme."

"Apprentice? You have a sith apprentice? I thought you are over with that all sith thing."

"Who said that I am?"

"I thought so!"

"So you were wrong." He growled and bandaged a scratch on his hand.

Padme promptly softened. "You're injured?"

Anakin hasn't notice the change in her behaviour. "Just a few scratches. Shaak Ti hand them out like a cat."

"Oh, does it hurt a lot?"

He finally noticed the tenderness in her voice. "It hurts like hell." He answered.

"Ah, I'm so sorry for you, my poor one."

Anakin smiled. Padme can lose her temper in a minute, but she is still so solicitous that she can forget anything promptly. "Needn't be. It hurts, but otherwise it's okay."

"I hope you will return soon."

"Me too, dear."

"I have to go. We have some problems here."

"Bye, Padme."

She send him a kiss and hung up.

Anakin seated more comfortable and looked from a window on two colossal silver disks of two Felucia's moons.

"The nights are double beautiful on this planet." Anakin cited. He finally learned what this sentence of the riddle meant.

He felt something behind him, so he turned round. Maris was lolling against door frame.

"Do you need anything, apprentice?" he asked curtly.

"You are married, master?" she asked, while ignoring his question.

"Yes. Why?"

"Just so."

"Anything else you need to know, Brood?"

Maris drew forward to the room. "Master...on Galidraan, when you...when you..."

"Held you?"

"Yes, when you held me, did you...felt...anything?"

Anakin didn't know if he has to answer. "What do you mean?"

"I felt some kind of...connection. Like if..."

"We became one in the Force for a moment?"

"Yes. Like we shared one power. Like you were deep inside of me. Of my mind."

Anakin bit his lip. He felt a taste of blood. "No. I didn't."

"But you knew what I mean."

"I know lots of things, Brood."

"Don't say to me you don't feel the bond. I feel it always from the moment on Galidraan. It's so strong. I still feel it's drawing me to you."

"Sleep it off, Maris. You're agitated. You're mind is not in your head. Sleep it off."

"But..."

"That's an order, Brood."

She set her teeth. "Yes, master."

"Good night." He called after her when she was leaving. He heard a slam.

He grimaced and looked again on the moons. They were beautiful, but somehow they weren't as exquisite as they were before. He sighed. He felt a wrath blazing from Brood's room that didn't let him sleep. He spent a rest of night moving the things with the force.

Anakin found a handle in the dark and went out to the corridor. He couldn't sleep. The blaze of hate from Brood dissipated, maybe she fell asleep. But he still couldn't sleep; he tossed about and still couldn't find comfortable position. He went past Brood's door. He felt she's not in her room. While a bit anxious, he proceeded to the observation room. Brood sat in front of the glassed wall, legs crossed. Her hands clasped her knees, her eyes were closed, head upright.

"Master," she said stilly.

Anakin's eyes narrowed. He hid his presence in the force. He wanted to test this "bond" Brood spoke about and what he felt, too, though not as deeply as she has.

Maris' forehead wrinkled. "Master? Is it you, right? Don't try to mask your presence, I feel you."

Anakin drew forward to her. "Yes. It is me."

Maris smiled. "Can't sleep, master?"

"I can ask you the same."

"I couldn't. Too many feelings in my head. Needed a meditation."

Anakin slightly touched her nape. He felt how she shook lightly. "Feelings are not vicious. Sith need feelings to be strong." His hand moved and he slapped her.

She bowed her head. "Sorry, master. I was born and raised like a Jedi."

"Me too. And do you see me?"

"I do." She hasn't opened her eyes yet.

He caught her hair and tugged at it. Her head bent backward.

"No you don't!" he hissed.

She opened her eyes.

"Who are you, master?" she asked.

He quitted hold of her hair and lent to her.

"I am Darth Vader." He said slowly.

"And who am I, master?" she asked again.

"You. Are Darth Tempt."

Autor's note:

Like my new Darth Tempt? From the beginning, I wanted to translate the word "tempt" into some exotic language, but haven't got enough time, so I let it as it is now. Sorry. And, uh, can I ask you, do you want me to deal with this "bond thing"? It was a vagary, and I don't know if I can expand it somehow interestedly.

Ani and Padme have s little relationship difficulties, huh? But Ani still has her with his loveliness. :)

So, I finally had Felucia there, Shaak Ti is dead, so we can move to the next chapter!

Next time: Chapter five: The Mask of the Empire

Peace, love and Sith,

Darth Moya ^^


	8. Chapter 5: The Mask of the Empire

"Lord Vader, my husband, welcome home."

Padme was dressed in frilly golden and black dress, with a hairstyle similar to the ones she wore when she was a Queen of Naboo. She stood aloof, with her arms opened in a gesture of welcome. She was surrounded by people. Her five handmaidens, Sate Pestage, Mas Amedda, Tarkin, Thrawn, a few people closest to the royal family and the highest imperial servants.

Anakin was a bit nervy because of that did they all wait for _him_? Why?

He walked down the ramp, head bowed and hidden under the hood. When Maris identified him, he realized that he doesn't want people to know he is-correction, _was_- Anakin Skywalker.

"Thanks for such an impressive welcome, my lady." He said and kissed her hand.

"We tried to compensate you the sad news we have for you." She replied gracefully.

"Can we delay it? I am way-worn."

"Oh, of course. I will accompany you to our apartment."

They liked their arms and left the reception committee. Padme's handmaidens still followed them, so they couldn't speak in private.

They entered the turbolift. Padme inclined to him.

"Where do you have your friend? Haven't seen her yet." She whispered.

"She will arrive later, when there won't be so much people." He answered. "They could misconstrue that. Like you did."

She pressed her lips and didn't say anything till they reached the door of their apartment.

"Wait here." She ordered to her handmaidens.

"Are you sure, my lady?" one of them asked solicitously and looked at Anakin suspiciously.

"Of course I_ am_, Verse. Nothing can happen to me." Padme retorted at her.

They entered a room and closed the door.

"What the hell was that?" Anakin asked and threw his cape on bed.

Padme shrugged her shoulders. "They are feared of you. See it from their visual angle. You are my husband and they have never even seen your face! You speak just a little and when you speak, it sounds more like snarl. And...you just somehow effuse an aura of fear."

"They think I can harm you when I'll stay alone with you?" he asked offencedly and putted off his tunic.

"Maybe they think you're a bit violent. You know, you look a bit impassible, easy to expect you're moody sometimes. And you look particularly peevish now."

Anakin growled sullenly. He fell on the bed and nestled into smooth silk blanket.

Padme sighed. "I missed you, Ani. I thought this will be pleasanter. I'm sorry if I annoyed you with something."

He sighed, too. "I missed you as well, Padme. I'm just so tired."

"I understand. I'll go. Good night."

He sat quickly. "No. Wait."

She turned. "Yes?"

"Come here."

She stepped to him and sat next to him. He took her by the hand.

"We didn't spend a time just alone together since Mustafar." He whispered.

She smiled. "I know. It seems like a long time, right? But it's not more than five days."

"I still miss your touch. Five days or month."

She lent and kissed him. He answered the kiss and hugged her. She smoothed back his hair.

"Far better. Now your much more elegant."

He smiled. "Elegant, wild and powerful. What a risky combination."

She tittered. He laid her on back. "Devilishly sexy." She grinned.

Someone knocked.

"Go fly a kite!" Anakin shouted sulkily.

Padme laughed. "Ani... let them go in..." she hove forth between laughter.

"No, they are disturbing us. I can't wait even a minute!" he smiled and kissed her on the neck.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Sir! Let us in! Something happened!" the voices from outside didn't want to hush.

Padme solemnized and threw Anakin down from her.

"Hey!" he protested.

She stood up, sleeked her dress and hair and said: "Come in."

Anakin sat down and looked at the person entering. It was one of Padme's handmaidens.

"Dorme. What's happening?" Padme asked.

"It's about mister Amedda. Someone attacked him when he went to the Senate." Dorme answered, large eyes staring at half-naked Anakin. She was blushing and she looked like a big, chubby tomato.

Anakin repeated her look coldly. After a while of mutual staring, Dorme looked at Padme.

"Thanks that you informed us, Dorme. Do you need anything else?"

"I don't want to poke into it, my lady, but I think it's expected that you will arrive in the minute you will find out."

"I agree, but as you see, my husband is not prepared to leave. Can you leave us some privacy?"

That took her by surprise. "Oh, sure, I'm sorry, I haven't realized..."

"It's okay, Dorme, but go."

"As you wish, my lady." Dorme muttered, bowed first to Padme, then to the tickled Anakin. She left the room hastily.

"You are really an impressive Empress, Padme." Anakin grinned and started to dress into clean vest.

Padme grimaced. "They are a bunch of milk blooded ninnies."

"I agree, but why you still have them? You're empress; you can choose any handmaiden you want, even if you want a company of ingenious tillers."

"I am satisfied with them, though they are a bit dull sometimes. But they don't question me, and when they do, I can lie and they won't even notice."

Anakin buttoned up his vest and stood up. "Did you bind them to secrecy?"

Padme checked her hair in the big mirror on the wall. "No. Not officially. Why?"

"Dorme. She saw me."

Padme turned to him. "Don't be paranoid, Ani! What can happen?"

"She can tell it to someone, and..."

"And?"

"I don't know. And that's the worst."

"You are really starting to madden. You are Anakin Skywalker, and that's the truth you can't deny!"

"I can do_ anything_." he hissed.

"No, you can't! No one is all-powerful, Ani. Palpatine thought it, too. And where he ended?"

"He's a dead man. And because of who? Because of me. Because I was stronger than him. They said I am even more powerful than Yoda! I _am_ almighty."

Padme pressed her lips. "Okay, mister almighty. It looks like you have to be the all-powerful idiot by yourself. I'm leaving." She said, reached the door and slammed them.

"You frigging, stupid, cretinous, soft-brained, fatheaded slut." Anakin snarled and clothed in his cloak. He went to the door, twitched them and ran them down.

"Oh, Padme, dear, I almost thought I'll not catch up with you." He said breathlessly.

"That would be sad." She answered mawkishly.

They linked their arms.

"You know, the cloak don't favour you." She noted.

"Choke to death." he snarled.

"If you will help me."

Anakin gripped her hand more hardly.

"So what? How's he doing?" Padme asked solicitously.

"He's fighting for life." A female Chagrian said. She was Lissine Dinno-Amedda, Amedda's wife.

"Is there a chance he'll survive?" Padme spied

"A big one, but his lung is shot." She answered.

A little Chagrian girl appeared in the door. "Mummy?" she snivelled.

"Yes, dear?" Lissine asked nicely.

"Something is happening to daddy. They want you to come up." She muttered. "At once." She completed tough

They both rushed to the room.

Padme turned to Anakin in a flash. "What are you doing?" she asked hardly.

"Finishing a botchy work." He answered blankly.

"You're killing him!" she yelled out below breath.

"Yes. He deserves it."

"Anakin!" she punched him into shoulder with her fist.

"Break off!" he pushed her aside.

"I swear before all the good people in the galaxy, if you kill him, I will tell everyone that you're Skywalker!" she whispered darkly.

"You nasty slut!" he growled out.

"I am your wife!" she protested.

"You are a rotter!"

"You are a sith!"

"Padme..."

"Stop it!"

"Well! I stopped it! He will die, now or another time."

She breathed out and laid her head on his shoulder. Anakin threw a short look at a pack of Padme's handmaidens. They looked at their silent fight out of breath. They couldn't understand what they said, but they saw the expressions in their faces, and that told them clearly that something weighty just happened.

"Thank you, Ani." She whispered.

"Don't have anything to thank for, Padme. I didn't do that from mercy." He said and shook her off.

Padme wiped the tears that rushed from her eyes. "So why you did that?"

He didn't answer.

"Why you did that?" she repeated.

"Because of you."

"Liar." She retorted.

Anakin smiled unseemly. "I am telling you truth, dear. I need you."

"Liar." She said again.

"I really need you. I am not good in diplomacy. You are. You're a useful ally, my dear, and dangerous enemy."

"So...what our marriage is now? An alliance deal?"

"More or less."

"I hate you, Vader. You stole me my Anakin."

Anakin looked at her searchingly. "He's still here. Somewhere. Don't you feel him?"

"I do, and that destroy me. I love Anakin in you, but I loathe Darth Vader you are now."

"Vader is stronger than Anakin. Mightier, rougher. Maybe wilder and more ruthless, but he is much more manful than old, weak Anakin that still just complained."

"Anakin was a good man. He was weaker, but he had heart of gold. I loved him as he was."

"He wasn't satisfied."

"He needed not to be."

Vader smiled. "So you don't wish the best for him?"

"I do! I don't want him to slowly drown in his own darkness!"

"If he's drowning, it's a delightful drown."

"Let me give him a hand!"

"He's dead."

She touched his chest. "I feel him alive."

"Bury him now, Padme, and you will not mourn tomorrow."

"If he dies, I will mourn to the very end of my life!"

"You're making yourself a widow!"

"Better widow than a wife of Darth Vader!"

Door opened and Lissine with her daughter entered.

"So what?" Padme asked like nothing had happened.

Lissine breathed out easily. "He had some attack, he had problem with breathing, but he's alright now."

Padme threw a short look at Anakin-sorry-Vader.

"When he will be able to work?" he asked.

Lissine shrugged her shoulders. "That can take a while." She answered.

"Sir? Are you sick?" the girl asked.

"Arido! Don't annoy him!" Lissine took Arido short. Then she apologetically turned to Anakin. "I'm so sorry, she's a bit ill-mannered."

Anakin smiled. "No, no. It's okay." He kneeled, so he looked straight into Arido's eyes. He felt her strong in the force. How could she escape the omnipresent eye of Jedi Order? "Why do you think so, girl?"

"You're wan, sir. Can I ask you, why are you so upset?" Arido asked.

Anakin laughed lightly. Padme looked at him with surprise. "Your daughter is talented expert on people, Madame Amedda." he said to Lissine. "I'll be alright, Miss Amedda. I just haven't slept much." He added to Arido.

"Thanks, your majesty." Girl muttered shyly.

"You can call me uncle Vader." Anakin laughed. "And you needn't thank to me. It was pleasure to talk to you."

Girl smiled. She blushed so much that she was almost purple.

Anakin patted Arido's head and stood up.

"I'm sorry, ladies, but I have something to handle, so I have to leave." He said.

"You need not to apologize, sir. It's sure you have more important things that to stand about here." Lissine said.

"Thank you for understanding," he replied. He stepped to Padme and kissed her on the cheek. "Give me an echo if something happens." He said to her. She didn't answer, so he turned to Arido. "I hope we will meet each other again soon, Miss Amedda." He said.

"Me too, sir. And..." her words ceased.

"Yes?"

"Please, promise me you will get a sleep as soon as you can." She said stilly.

He smiled. "Of course."

Rhea appeared in a whirl of red hair.

"Wanted me, sir?" she asked breathlessly.

"I think this is an unnecessary question, Ambassador." Vader said coldly.

"This is a courtesy question, my lord."

"I don't have time for pleasantries."

She put her hair behind her ear. "Of course."

He pointed at chair. "Sit down."

She sat down obediently. "So? What did you need me for, sir?"

"I need you to replace mister Amedda as my voice in the senate for the time he is unable to practise his work." Vader explained.

"It would be an honour for me to do this work." She said.

"I know. It would be an honour to everyone."

Rhea smiled. "You're really not in a good mood."

Vader didn't answer her smile. "Why should I? My day's terrible, from morning to now."

"Can I help you anyhow?" she asked.

Vader watched her for a while. He didn't catch a meaning of this. He rubbed his eyes.

"No, if you will not change into bed." He answered.

"I will not bother you anymore."

"That would be great."

"Good night, sir."

"Thank you, Ambassador."

Rhea left the room with innate aristocratic pride. Anakin's head fell slowly on the desk, where the pile of pending papers softened its fall. It cost him a bit of effort to stand up and drag himself into his room. There he unrobed and finally fell asleep.

He woke up. His mind felt better, but body exclaimed against getting up. It was dark in the room, but Anakin thought this is due to the automatic darkener. He clothed and shaved himself. He stared in the mirror on his face, thinking about how to hide this face before world. He washed his face and left the room. To his amaze, the corridor was dark, too.

_How long had I slept?_

"He dropped asleep and hasn't woken up all day. I had to guard in front of his room in secret. I stood at the door all day, but nothing even moved in the room, so Madame sent me back." That was from the rooms of Padme's handmaidens. He didn't know the voice speaking, so it wasn't Verse, not even Dorme.

_Again, how long I, by the mercy of sith, slept?_

"Really? He's actually a big sleeper, right?" one other voice sounded. That was younger and higher.

"No, Elle, I don't think so." That was Verse. "I think that this is a big cheat. Our royal lovekins have some problems."

"I think this is not something we should stick our noses into." Other said.

"Shut up, Corde. Let us have fun!" Verse said.

"Hey, girls, guess who saw the Big Lord's face?" Dorme said provocatively.

"You did?" the first voice said.

"Yeah." She agreed.

"And what?" the first voice asked again.

"Don't be prying, Motee." Verse rebuked the girl.

"But I stood in front of his room all the day! I think I have a right to know he looks like." Motee said offencedly.

"And we want to know it, too." Corde sealed it.

"Speak, Dorrie!" Elle squeaked.

"Shut up, Elle. We don't want to wake someone up, and especially not Lord Vader." Verse scored her off.

"Lady Amidala is a fright, too." Corde tittered.

"So, do you want me to say it?" Dorme made herself heard.

"Of course we do. Shut up, you bunch of clucking-hens!" Corde quieted her friends.

"So. We all thought that he's keeping his face hidden because he's ugly or has deformed face, right?" Dorme started slowly.

"Ohh, he is mutilated, is he! Eep! I always thought it!" Elle squeaked.

She started to bother him, and he didn't have to listen to her every night.

"Enough of sass, Elle!" Dorme said. "And no, he is not mutilated if you don't mean a one scar on the eye as deformed face. To tell the truth, he is quite handsome."

"Oh, Dorme, did you fall in love with him?" Verse asked.

"No, of course I didn't! I'm not crazy! But...he looks quite good with naked chest." Dorme said pensively.

Motee and Elle giggled and started to ask Dorme about lots of things, most of them about his look. Corde and Verse started a much more interesting conversation.

"I think you need not to be crazy to fall in love with an Emperor. You know, he is powerful, people respect him, and when he don't look that bad..." Corde let the end of the sentence free.

"I know what you mean, but if I were an Emperor's lover, it would be just from a bit more selfish reasons." Verse said.

"As?" Corde pumped.

"It can be useful. You can manipulate with him, know about everything that happens at first hand, and, maybe, he can back you up."

"Sound good when you say it like that, but I'm afraid it's not so easy. Can you imagine what Amidala can do to you if she finds out?"

"I can, but if you are smart, she can never find it out."

Anakin finally made up his mind and knocked the door.

"Who the hell is knocking in this time?" Verse chafed.

He heard light steps, fidget and then the door opened.

"Yes?" Verse asked moodily.

Anakin saw Dorme and her friends sitting on the beds. Dorme gave yell. Verse turned to her, then to Anakin. She looked confused.

"Can you ladies quiet down? You will wake someone up." He said.

Verse's eyes almost popped out. She recognised his voice. "Oh, of course, sir. We're sorry. I have told it to them, but they..."

He raised his hand. "It's okay, I don't need to know that. Just calm down, right?"

Verse nodded quickly. "Of course, sir. Good night, sir." She bowed.

"Good night." He replied and turned.

Verse closed the door. "See, girls? I told you! You woke him up!" he heard she shouted.

And then, more quiet: "And, Dorme, you were right. He is really quite handsome..."

"My lord," Maris said, when she appeared in his holoprojector.

"Apprentice," Anakin replied formally.

"What do you need, master?" Maris asked.

"I think it's the right time, Maris. We'll meet in the Border docks."

"Yes, master. I'm coming immediately."

"I don't expect anything else."

Maris snickered. "You're really in the good mood today, master. What happened?"

Anakin raked his hair and smiled, too. "Nothing, I just slept well."

"My master," Maris said and left the ship.

"Tempt." Anakin replied.

"So, where are we going now?"

"I'll show you your apartment. And I have a mission for you."

"So early? You haven't even started my training yet."

"This is not much hard. Just need to sneak and I think this is something you manage, Maris."

Maris smiled. "I really do."

They walked to the Central docks together and then entered the turbolift.

"Anything happened here on Cant I should know?" Maris asked.

"No, nothing you should know."

"And the else?"

Anakin grinned. "Well, it looks like Padme finally understands that I am not her cutie little Ani anymore. And I think she's so feared of me that she can let me live at least."

"Did she restrain you, master?"

"Yes, she really had me under the thumb. But now she doesn't allow herself to break into my things."

Maris giggled.

"What?" Anakin went off her.

"I just…I just can't imagine a sith lord what is underfoot." Maris said carefully.

Anakin shook his head. He really has to break his apprentice off joking.

"Who does?" he replied.

Maris shrugged her shoulders.

The turbolift door opened slowly.

"Follow me." Anakin ordered.

"As I have already said, even to the very hell, master." Maris replied playfully.

Anakin leaded her thought long corridors to the most sunken part of the building.

"Here's your apartment." Anakin said when they stopped in the front of some door.

He drew out a key from his vest and unlocked them. Then he stepped aside. Maris came to them and opened them with the force. Room was spacious and simply furnished. The walls were wine-coloured, floor was chocolate brown and furniture was plummy blue. Together it looked a bit inelegant.

"The best I can afford." Anakin said and walked into the room.

"The best I could expect." Maris added and threw her small bag on dark blue sofa.

"So, I don't have much time, I still have lots of things to do, so there's your task."

"What can you do now? It's night."

"Sith, like evil, never sleeps."

Maris grimaced.

"So, to your task: I need you to sneak into the former Jedi Temple [it's guarded all day and all night] and steal the Sith holocrons from the Jedi Archives. They should be here, because I know just about two Sidious took."

"What holocrons?"

"No special ones. Just all Sith holocrons you'll find here."

"Okay, master. As you order. When?"

"As soon as you can. I'm not giving you a deadline, but please handle it really _as fast as you can_. It's necessary for your training."

"Indeed, master."

"So, see you later, apprentice."

"Goodbye, master." Maris smiled.

Anakin stood in front of Padme's door, carefully playing with the lock. Pamde locked herself in her room. Maybe she was feared that he'll go and pay her a short scary evening visit.

That was exactly the thing he planned.

Lock clapped quietly. Vader smiled a little and pressed the handle. He slowly and carefully opened the door. Padme lied on the bed and tossed about.

"Unquiet sleep, my Sleeping Beauty?" he said as loudly as he took a liberty to so he doesn't wake up the sleepers in near bedrooms.

Padme stopped tossing and tightened.

"No, it's not a dream, my dear, I'm really here." He assured her.

"Every dream with you would be a nightmare, Vader." Padme replied and opened her eyes.

"From what time you call me Vader?" Vader asked.

Padme sat down quickly. "Ani?"

"I was feared that I hurt you so much you will never forgive me. So I… paid you this late visit." Vader said, playing a shy one.

Padme laid her face on the blanket. She was crying, Vader recognized it. "Oh, Ani. You didn't do that, Vader, the dark side monster that Sidious woke in you, does that all. Not you! Not you! You're good and I know it!"

Vader walked to her bed and sat next to her. "So…what now, Padme?" he asked.

"We have to get rid of him if you are able to do that. But how?"

"Get rid of him? You want to kill me, Padme? He's in my mind, in my head, he's me, my part and you can't separate him just so easily!"

Padme looked stunned. "I…but…you did! You kept him down all the time! You're keeping him down now! Why not?"

"Sidious released him from the nooks of my mind and strengthened him. He supported him. He wanted me…uh, I mean Vader… to devour Anakin. He's too strong for me to keep him down. I can't anymore. Even this short time is a huge fight for me."

Padme looked at Vader compassionately. "My poor one!" she sobbed.

Vader pushed forward to her. "Everything will be okay, dear." He assured her.

"I don't trust this much." She replied worriedly.

"It will. Trust me." He said and embraced her. "Everything. Alright."

She embraced him, too. "Well, if not forever, let it be alright now leastways." She said.

Vader got up and went into trousers. He was smiling. The show he played to Padme last night worked as he wanted, even he managed to worm into Padme's bed. He washed himself quickly and wanted to leave, when he met Verse in the door.

She stared at him. "Good morning sir," she said shamefacedly.

"Good morning –Verse, am I right?" he asked cheerily.

"Yes, sir, Verse Korden." She introduced herself and curtseyed.

"It's a pleasure to know your name, madam."

Verse blushed. "Uh…thank you."

He laughed. "Why?" he turned quickly to Padme, who was sleeping in the bed behind him. "But I think we have to stop talking, or we will wake up lady Amidala."

"Of course." Verse said obligingly and put a tray with Padme's breakfast on the bedside table. Then she got round Vader and left the room. "Goodbye, my lord." She muttered while she walked around him.

Vader closed the door behind her and turned to the room. He walked to the tray with food, took a grape and started to eat it.

Padme spun round uneasily. Her eyelids shook, it looked like she will wake up soon. Vader lent to her.

"Never sleeping stilly, do you, dear?" he said.

Her big eyes opened at once.

"Never." She gabbled contentedly.

"It's morning, time to go to work," he said.

"Not now," she answered back with a little smile and tried to hide in her pillow.

"Empresses can't sleep all day long, Padme."

"But I want to." She replied.

"You have to eat something." He persuaded her and swung a grape under her nose.

"Naboo grapes." She tossed. "Love those things."

He crossed her lips with the grapes. "I know."

"Can't it wait a minute?" she tried to bargain.

"No, no." he answered amusedly and snatched away when she tried to bite of one grape.

"You are naughty, Ani." She unburdened herself and sat down.

"I know." Vader grinned and handed the grapes to her.

She took them. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." he replied. "Well, I have some work. See you later, dear." He said, kissed her lightly on the lips and turned to leave.

"Ani," she sounded.

"Yes?"

"You're not dressed." She warned him.

He looked down. He had just trousers on him. "Eh, yeah, you're right." He replied distractedly.

"What please?"

Vader sighed. "Okay, Torren, one more time, but this is the last time I am repeating it. I want a mask and armour. And it has to be as presentable but eerie as you can manage it."

"Okay. Presentable but eerie. Not much exact order. And hard." Torren replied pensively. Lev Torren was a mandalorian armourer. He designed the Phase I and Phase II clone trooper armour.

"Come on, Torren, when they told you: `We need some armour for horrifying army of Jango Fett's clones´, did you complained? This wasn't an exact order as well."

"It was, because they said: `We need armour to every condition, light, resistant and highly equipped.´ And I did an armour to every conditions, light, resistant and highly equipped. And they promised me oodles of credits."

"I can promise you oodles of credits, too, Torren."

"Well. Do you have any more exact requirements?"

"I'm planning to wear it almost all day, so it has to be light. I need it to be bearable when it'll be worn."

"Well, better. So an armour for everyday using? Sounds like regular mando armour. But more imperial. Okay, with a bit of fancy, I think I can make it."

"Okay. How soon?"

"Cannot tell. The production of regular armor is long, and if you want to have it better, it can take longer than usual."

"Well, just make it as fast as you can."

"Yes, sir."

"And Torren?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Add some cortosis plates. And make it anywhere near resistant. I think I'll need it."

"Bullet-proof?"

"Anywhere near. And try to make it resistant to lightsabers."

"Yes, sir."

"Meanwhile-Senator Rhea, good morning." Anakin welcomed Narusse in his office.

"Good morning, Your Majesty. I see you're in a better mood today." Rhea replied.

"Much better, Nars." Anakin said with a little smile.

"Nars? Oh, I haven't noticed we thou to each other." Rhea returned.

"We don't thou to _each other_, Nars, _I _just started to thou to _you_ now."

"Can you please call me Senator Rhea, or Ambassador Rhea? This is horrible."

"What about Narusse?"

Rhea sighed. "Okay, sir."

Vader smiled. "Okay, Senator Rhea, let's pass to the topic."

Rhea smiled, too. "And that is…?"

"I wanted to know from you: Who did you hire for the assassination of Mas Amedda?"

"Peemca. Why?"

"Can you tell me the name once again, please?"

"Peemca. Her full name is Scape'em'cani. She's a Chiss assassin, sir."

"Okay. So Peemca. She really botched the work, I can tell you, Senator Rhea. Ninety percent certainty he will recover fast and completely."

"I already heard about that, sir. Do you want me to punish her?"

"No, I want you to offer her a deal: She will complete the work and we won't kill her. How does it sound?"

"Flatly." Rhea replied simply.

Vader grimaced. "That's exactly what I wanted. Contact her."

Rhea bowed. "As you wish, my lord."

Vader lounged in his chair. Padme avoided him all the day carefully. Maybe she didn't want to meet Vader in larky mood. He wasn't surprised.

Someone knocked the door.

"Come in!" he called.

Door opened a bit and a fair-haired head of officer Solard appeared.

"Sir, a woman is here with a message from lady Amidala." He said.

"Let her in, Solard." Vader replied.

Solard disappeared. He heard a muffled conversation, then the door opened in full and a girl in a crimson clothes appeared.

"Your Majesty," she said brightly and dropped a curtsy.

_Corde by the voice, _occurred to Vader. "Come in, don't stay in the door." He called upon her.

Corde walked into the room and stopped in the front of his desk.

"Can I ask you about your name, madam?" he asked courteously.

"Corde Vancil, sir." She replied, eyes fixed on the desk.

"Okay, madam Vancil, sit down." He said.

Corde sat down stiffly. "I am sent to deliver you a message from Lady Amidala, Your Majesty."

"I heard. So? What do my dear need from me?"

"She wants you to see to something instead of her. She got stuck in a debate with mister Organa and she made an appointment with Madame Mothma on today, too. First she wanted one of us to tell her that she doesn't have a time for her, but then she decided that it will be much more polite when she will leave this task on you. You know, it's almost a compliment when an Emperor himself takes the trouble with renunciation of a meeting."

Vader snickered. "What a long and winsome speech, Madame Vancil. I think I have a time for this. Can you tell it to Padme…uh…Lady Amidala?"

"Sure."

"Well. Goodbye, Madame Vancil."

"Goodbye, Your Majesty."

"Mon Mothma, right?"

Red-haired woman turned her head. When she saw him, she raised her eyebrows, but otherwise didn't turn a hair. "Emperor Vader. Yes, I am Mon Mothma." She replied.

"I'm very glad to see you, madam. We have never met each other yet."

"Yes, we haven't. Till now, of course."

"Sure. I heard lots about you, Madame Mothma."

"I did hear lots about you too, lord Vader, but I have a meeting here with your spouse Padme and not with you, sir."

Vader smiled. During their conversation he got to the table Mon Mothma sat at and poured himself a glass of water.

"That's actually the reason I am here. I was sent to tell you, that lady Amidala is too busy now and won't get this meeting. She will call you as fast as she can and make a date for the next meeting." He explained.

Mon Mothma's grimace was poisonous by the moment. "Well," she snapped. "If lady Amidala doesn't have time for me, I will not busy her anymore."

She stood up, freshened up and turned to leave. "It was a delight to meet you, lord Vader." She said politely, but a bit insincerely.

"It was too much brief encounter to make me happy, Madame Mothma." Vader replied openly.

Mothma replied with a little polite nod, and then she turned and left the room. With her pretentious style of walking and impressive stature she looked much more like Empress than always a bit haggard Padme. She left a strong impression in Vader.

A small, sweating officer appeared in the door.

"Lord Vader, Your Majesty, Admirals Tarkin and Thrawn want to talk to you. They are waiting in your office."

"Messieurs." Vader made himself heard. Tarkin and Thrawn turned.

"Uh, Skywalker, finally." Tarkin rested a little.

Thrawn stabbed him with his red shining eyes. "We weren't sure if you'll arrive."

"I am here. So? What did you need?"

Tarkin cleared his throat and raked his auburn hair, which were growing grey. "After some agitation, we reached a view that we have to tell you about something."

Vader stepped forward to the room and closed a door behind him. "That sounds important. Speak."

"Before his…untimely death, he entrusted me with leading of one project. Military project. Project of a colossal weapon that will help Palpatine in his `rule through fear´ philosophy."

"We noted a no small progress in it, so we decided to familiarize you with it." Thrawn added.

Tarkin drew out a chip from his uniform. "Here I have a latest version of plans."

"There's even a Chiss technology I afforded in it. It's really a masterpiece." Thrawn enthused.

Tarkin inserted a chip in the big holoprojector. Vader just stared on the huge thing that appeared.

"What the hell is that?" he asked.

"This…" Tarkin began.

"Is project Death Star I." Thrawn completed.

Author's note:

This one was long, huh? I must be crazy…I am leaving myself so much possibilities how to continue this story that I don't know which to choose. I will try to work up and finish them all, so you will find out what Lani Re Kha is/was planning, what will Ani do with Death Star, what after-effects will have fed-upness of Mon Mothma, what was with this Jedi on Phaeda, with the sith holocrons from Jedi Temple and this all, just leave me a time. Okay, first I wanted to end this chapter with Vader's armour completed, but I couldn't help myself to end it with the words Death Star I.

And you have finally seen the duality in Vader's personality. Like it? It wasn't premeditated; I haven't realized it till I read it again.

So, all for now.

Peace, love and Sith,

Darth Moya ^^


	9. Chapter 6

"Once again: What?"

Thrawn sighed. "Death Star is a gigantic battle station."

"Really a big one." Tarkin added proudly.

"It should be equipped by the best and newest technologies, the strongest weapons…" Thrawn listed.

"According to calculations, it would be even able to destroy a _whole planet_."

"And the trouble is that…" Vader broached.

Thrawn grimaced. "It's also as _big _as planet."

"That's really a trouble." He agreed.

"And that's why we decided to familiarize you with that. Death Star is already prepared and we need to find a place to construct the prototype here." Tarkin explained.

"Do you have any ideas?"

"Uh, we had some tips, but we weren't sure if that's the stuff." Thrawn answered.

"Can I know some?"

"Yavin," Tarkin tossed.

"Raxus Prime," Thrawn added.

"Mytus,"

"Arda 3,"

"Gree,"

"Uba,"

"Endor,"

"Okay, gentlemen, okay. So you need some unimportant planet out of hand, where no one will care what you are doing here." Vader summarized it.

"More or less." Thrawn nodded.

"We thought Gree and Raxus Prime as the best alternatives. They are out-of-the-way as much as we need." Tarkin said.

"You mentioned Yavin," Vader started slowly.

Tarkin caught at the theme immediately. "Yes, that was one of our first ideas, but then we realized it's too big, well-known and not placed as we need."

"I already heard about this planet. Jedi imprisoned Exar Kun there." Vader said pensively.

"Exar Kun? The Sith lord?" Tarkin asked.

"Yes, him." He answered blankly. His eyes were disappointingly shining. "Start to build above Yavin." he said finally.

"Why, sir?" Thrawn asked.

"That is nothing to you, Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo."

Thrawn raised his eyebrows. "Your pronunciation is quite good, your Majesty, but I am afraid that that_ is something _to me."

"Save your breath, Thrawn." Vader snapped off.

Thrawn seemed a bit stunned.

"That was really too impertinent, Skywalker." Tarkin said.

"That's my baby, Tarkin, don't you think?" Vader went off him.

Both admirals were touched by Vader's behaviour, but were too decent to contradict.

Thrawn tapped on his belt. "I have some work, the population of Alderaan is a bit unquiet and we have to make peace here. See you later, lord Vader." He said shortly, bowed, then parted with Tarkin, too and rushed from the room.

Vader snorted. "Thrawn's a bit snobbish, isn't he?"

Tarkin shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe a bit. But he's really efficient. That's why Palpatine engaged him, though he's not a human."

"I have never seen him doing something useful."

"Yet." Tarkin pointed out.

Vader waved his hand. "If you think so, you think so."

Tarkin pressed his lips.

Vader walked to his desk and started to rake through files he had on it. "You are finally back from Phaeda, right?"

"Yes. You read the report?"

Vader grimaced. "No, I haven't even known about your way here. It looks like someone is stealing all reports from you."

"Too bad. Want to know what's in it?" Tarkin proposed.

Vader flumped on his chair. "That would be great."

Tarkin sat in front of him. "So, first we received a report from our spy on Phaeda that local farmer family is hiding a bunch of surviving Jedi Masters in tunnels under his farm. We came here immediately, arrested whole family, sought through underground of whole Phaeda, but haven't found nothing but some deserters from republican and separatist army and some emigrants from rebellious planet who wanted not to die."

"So your mission was unavailing?"

"Say about, but this is still not the worst. When we came back with the spy we arrested because he handed wrong information, we found here a squadron of untagged Y-wings attacking our ship."

"Y-wings? Where they got to them?"

"No idea. But you can ask them. We shot most of them down, but we managed to arrest two of them alive."

"Species?"

"One Twi'lek and some Mon Calamari."

"Take me to them."

Both pilots looked ravaged. Very young Twi'lek girl was still biting her nails and Calamari was scraping his hands. They looked up when door opened and Vader with Tarkin entered. Twi'lek started to cry.

"Names." Vader said.

Calamari was tight-lipped, but Twi'lek said: "Onomi Secura."

"Ono!" Calamari called her to order.

Vader smiled. "Pleased to meet you, miss Secura. You are related with Aayla Secura, aren't you?"

"I'm her sister." Onomi sobbed.

"That's enough, Ono! That's a treachery!" Calamari shouted at her.

Vader turned to him with a dangerous smile. "No, sir, treachery is to be silent when you are questioned."

"I will never outspeak. I am not a traitor." He retorted and threw a short sight at Onomi.

Vader raised his brows and turned to Onomi. "I knew your sister. Not well, but still. She was a great woman, but she chose a bad side to be on. It was a pity that she had to die." He said stilly.

Onomi burst into tears even more strongly. "I loved her. We haven't grown up together, but we were close to each other." She muttered.

"What you did was wrong, but you can save yourself. Tell me, where did you get to the Y-wings? Who told you to attack the imperial ship?"

Onomi wiped her nose. "I can't tell, sir, that would be a disloyalty. Aayla wasn't a betrayer, I won't be, too."

Vader's fist in leather glove fisted. "Are you sure? I can give Aayla's body over to your family. She can have a Jedi funeral. I can give you money, work…"

"I can't." Onomi repeated.

"I can teach you everything Aayla knew, and something more."

"No…" the girl whispered.

Vader's hand cleaved and then fisted again. Onomi caught her neck.

"I can give you anything! Just tell me!" he shouted at her.

"Ono!" Calamari shouted out. "Let her be!"

"Will you tell me?" Vader asked him.

Calamari hesitated for a moment. Then he threw an apologetic look on Onomi. "Never."

"I…will…" Onomi rattled.

Vader smiled. "Thanks."

He stopped choking Onomi. She gasped for breath, coughed and rubbed her neck. Vader turned calmly to Tarkin.

"Let miss Secura go, but take her to some small apartment in palace and guard her. Concerning to the Calamari…execute him." He ordered.

"As you wish, my lord." Tarkin said and saluted.

Vader read off the documents about suppression of rebellion germinating on Alderaan [successfully subdued by Grand Admiral Thrawn], when Padme entered the room.

He looked up blankly. She was dressed in white and dark blue dress, brown hair outspread. She looked almost more beautiful than usually.

"Anakin," she said.

He laid the files down. "Padme, you need something?"

"I finally finished my debate with Bail. He's so obstinate! No matter, I tried to call Mon, but she's not answering. Don't you know what happened to her?"

He shrugged. "Don't know. It's true she looked a bit out of humour when I said her you have to delay the meeting."

Padme sighed and sat down on the chair in front of him. "Mon was always moody. What exactly you told her?"

"Something like that you are too busy and can't apply yourself to her. I also mentioned she can call you anytime and make a new date for the meeting."

"That doesn't sound much like something that can spoil her mood."

"Who knows?"

Padme sleeked a dark blue velvet flower on her dress. "Tomorrow is a day of the first battle on Geonosis." She tossed.

"Do you want to celebrate the day? I don't know how you, but I haven't enjoyed it much." He said and swept his glove with his left hand.

"I haven't, too, but I just wanted you to know." She answered shyly.

He blushed. He didn't want to unsettle her. The knock on the door pulled them out from uncomfortable situation.

"Come in!" Vader called.

Solard's fair-haired head peeped out. "Sir, Grand Admiral Tarkin says the captive is prepared for questioning."

"Thanks, Solard." Vader said to him and then said to Padme: "I have a work. Maybe we'll find tracks of the Jedi runaways."

"That would be great." Padme replied.

He smiled, while didn't notice her uneasiness. "I know."

Onomi sat on the chair, Tarkin sitting in front of her. Onomi looked better, but her eyes were still red from the cry. They gave her clean dress; she looked like a peaceful missionary and not assassin.

Vader entered the room.

"Lord Vader," Onomi stood up and bowed.

"Onomi Secura," he replied and nodded to her, "It seems you finally came to yourself."

"Yes, sir." She said and sat down again.

Vader took one chair and sat next to Tarkin.

"So? What can you tell us?" Tarkin asked.

Onomi haven't replied. "You told me that if I'll speak, you will give us over Aayla's body."

"That still stand." Vader assured her.

"And give me a work."

"That as well."

"Okay," she sighed tiredly. "I and Efter…that's the Calamari you got with me…we and some more friends…some man came to us once…"

"How did he look like?"

"Grey hair, brown eyes. Nothing special on his face."

He didn't have any idea who the man was. "Continue,"

"He showed us his lightsaber and told us he's a Jedi. He told us that the traitorous troopers tried to kill him and asked us if we can't help him. He showed us the stock room with the Y-wings and explained us his plan. We had to distract the imperials by attacking their ship and he will help the other Jedis hiding on Phaeda to escape in the meantime."

"And you did it? Just like that?" Vader asked. He couldn't understand that.

"See, we all had a Jedis in our families, we were raised on the fact that Jedis are keepers of peace, we wanted to help them. And most of us always wanted to become starfighter pilots. All kids want to be pilots."

"So you attacked Tarkin's ship."

"Yes."

"Nothing more?"

"No, sir."

Vader turned to Tarkin. "So the Jedi really were on Phaeda." He said.

"And outfoxed us." Tarkin added.

Vader looked at Onomi. "Well, that's all for now. You will stay in the apartment for a while."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Vader stood up and left the room. Tarkin followed him.

"Ensure they will give the Secura's body over to her family on Ryloth. And with that girl Onomi…in the interest of rapprochement, send her on Tatooine to Jabba Hutt. As a gift. He can be a useful ally. I hope Secura will be satisfied with a work of a dancer."

"As you wish, my lord." Tarkin replied courtly. He wasn't surprised. Empire doesn't owe anything to this Secura girl.

Maris Brood swept a manhole with her hand, searching for some handle.

It was dark here, in the tunnels under Coruscant. Her ignited light tonfa evolved just a weak light.

"Stupid thing," she cursed and slit the cover with her tonfa. She jumped aside and caught the two halves in the fall, so they didn't make noise. She dropped them carefully on the floor and then jumped up the manhole. She landed on the floor of some long, grey corridor with lots of doors.

She slightly nestled against the wall and sneaked carefully to the staircase few meters from her. Still haven't met any guards. Maybe they have a lunch break – or midnight snack break, according to time.

She walked up the staircase and went to the big, round room with four guards at every stairs. She glided behind the back of nearest guard, raised a vibroknife and slit his neck. She caught him while he was falling and carefully propped him against the wall. The other three guards didn't notice the shadow that killed their fellow. Maris drew out three silent detonators from her belt and, activated them and threw them one by one, to their victims.

Three silent "puffs" and weak gleams announced her that they really exploded. She ran over the hall to the eastern staircase. She saw two more guards down there. She tumbled the stairs as silently as she could and stabbed them both with her tonfas. She peered to the corridor. Left-hand she had big, ironbound door, guarded by two men.

They both marked her.

"Damn!" she shouted as war whoop and ran to them, deflecting blaster shots with her tonfas.

One of them raised his commlink to his mouth.

"Three-three-seven, position B-four, Jedi Temple, archive. Here's Hooper. We have an…"

Commlink fell on the floor along with his left forearm.

When Maris finished her work, both men lay on the floor their faces destroyed so much that not even their mothers can recognize them.

Maris smiled and lifted the commlink from the floor.

"Three-three-seven here. Listen, honey, there's Tempt. Don't presume to send anyone here. Is that clear?" she purred.

"Totally, my lady." A frightened man voice sounded from the commlink.

Maris smiled, turned the commlink off and broke it against the wall. Then she entered the code in the door-locking system.

Door slightly opened. She walked in. There were shelves everywhere around her. Mostly empty. She fussily raised her hand with a commlink embedded in the wristlet she had on it. She called her master.

"Tempt, my apprentice, haven't waited you so early." Vader said.

"I know, master. I decided to see to it immediately after I had a sleep."

"I applaud to that."

"I am in the Jedi Archive now, but something's wrong here. There's just a few of holocrons. Looks like someone carried away the rest. Is possible that Master Nu survived and carried them away?"

"Everything is possible." Vader replied distantly.

"There are still some sith holocrons here. Shall I get them?"

"Of course. Get them and we will meet in my rooms. I am sure you can be noteless."

"Sure. But where are your rooms?"

"I'm certain you can find them. But I have to go for now. Return at the soonest."

"Yes, master."

She turned off the commlink and started to collect all the sith holocrons she saw nearby, and threw them all in the bag. When she was ready, she threw the bag over her shoulder and rushed out. She ran up the stairs. She heard a commando of troopers in close corridor. So the stupid man from commlink really called cops on her. Maris was thinking if she should let them catch her and take to her master "somehow by the roundabout". But then she reconsidered it and realized that that can just make things longer. She ran to the southern staircase, tumbled the stairs and jumped into the hole. She threw a candle up to the room, waited till it exploded, and took a run through the tunnels.

Vader sat cross-legged on his bed, waiting for Maris.

Door moved a little, the lock clapped and opened.

"Good evening, Master." Maris said when she entered.

"I expect you succeeded, Tempt."

"Shoe-string, master. The security troops almost caught me in the tunnels, but they didn't expect that the thief can disappear in the Imperial palace."

"Naturally."

Maris laid her bag down on the floor.

"Open it," Vader ordered.

Maris opened the bag. It was cram-full by the small spires of holocrons.

"You said there wasn't much holocrons." Vader said.

"It emerged that most of the missing ones were Jedi holocrons. But some Sith holocrons were missing, too. That's the rest that stayed here."

Vader stood up and hunkered down to the bag. He dipped into it and drew one of them out. He patted the smooth flank.

"Good work, Tempt." He commended her.

"Thanks, master." She muttered.

He was staring at the spire almost piously.

"Can I go, master?" Maris asked.

"If you want to," Vader replied.

Maris dragged her heels.

Vader stood up and smiled. "I see you don't. It's nice you want to spend time with your master."

Maris blushed and muttered something he didn't understand to.

Someone knocked the door.

"I am starting to hate this," Vader tossed and winked on Maris. She stepped aside, so she didn't show up from the door.

He opened a door. Verse again.

"Lady Amidala wants to see you, sir." She said.

He smiled at her. "Well, tell her I don't have a time for her." He answered and slammed a door in Verse's face.

Maris tittered. Vader looked at her shortly. She stopped.

"Look, Maris. You want to become a Sith?" he said stilly.

"Yes."

"Sith are something else than Jedi. We are forged by fire, empowered by passion. We bend the Force to our will, use the dark side of the force. We are not floating on the Force waves, we are breaking the flow, bowing it. I don't know the Sith code well…" he looked at the bag with holocrons. "But I hope that will help me. Nevertheless, there are two types of Sith. One practicing the Bane's Rule of two – that means, that there will still be just two: Master and one Apprentice, and the second, the ones practicing the Rule of One. In Rule of One, there's one Grand Lord, who has some lower Sith lords under him, the Sith lords having their apprentices, and like that. Maybe you wonder why I am telling this all to you, but it's necessary for you to understand the Sith."

He looked at Maris. She nodded quickly, though she was a bit surprised that he is telling this all to her so suddenly.

"My master, Darth Sidious, professed Rule of Two. I think it's really well-thought out, but I somehow more tend to the Rule of One. The bad thing is that most of force-sensitive kids were killed during the execution of Order 66 or within the raid on Jedi Temple."

_Pity that I am so good in killing. Some enough angry ones could survive._

"I am sorry, but I'm afraid this is all I can tell you now." He ended his speech.

Maris' eyes were glaring. "Thank you, master, for my first lesson."

"Your true lesson was the theft in the Jedi Temple. That was just idle words. You can teach nothing from words. As I said, you must be forged by the fire."

Maris played with her hair.

"You can go, Maris." He said.

She bowed. "Thanks, Master. Good night, master."

She walked to the door.

"Maris, one more thing," Vader sounded.

She turned to him.

"Jedi told you that emotions are something bad. Sith have another opinion on that. They think emotions are good, when you can control them, don't become a slave to them. Anger, if controlled, can strengthen you, but if you will succumb to it, it can get out of hand. And about love… Jedi don't tolerate love, because love can make from the wisest Jedi total fool. Sith don't like love, because they think that love leads to mercy. And goodness and sensitivity are not the best qualities for Sith. Your mind can't be like a cardhouse, so weak and shaky that every stronger emotion can break down your stability. Just try to keep cold. Upon any terms."

Maris swept her horns with her hand. "Yes, master. All long. Upon any terms."

He nodded and she left the room. He sat on the bed again and patted the holocron in his hands.

"Let's meet each other," he said almost romantically.

Author's note:

I think this chapter is not fully completed, but it's so long that I decided to part it. One note, I'm going to mull over these things with Sith, but I think that most of them are already known, so if you are getting bored, skip them, I think they will not be important for story. And one more thing: I don't know how to name this chapter! Any ideas?

Peace, love and Sith,

Darth Moya ^^


	10. Chapter 7: The Elites

Padme found Anakin at noon, when she finally get her mad up and took heart to visit his bedroom, too. There she found him, sleeping on the floor, head propped against the bedside. He clasped a little spire in his hands, and some more were lying neatly in the row next to him.

"Wake up, sleepy one," she said tenderly.

Anakin turned and didn't wake. She kneeled to him and slightly shook up with him.

"What…" he muttered.

"Wake up, dear. You have your duties." She said.

His eyelids shook and he slowly opened his eyes.

"Padme, dear, you here?" he muttered again.

"It's noon, Ani, you have to wake up, we need you."

"Why…" he groaned.

"You're an Emperor, Ani. That's life."

"Crappy empire! I want to sleep!"

Padme giggled. "Come on, clothe and we can have a lunch before work."

He smiled. "That should be great."

Anakin was no guttler, but he was hungry like a wolf. He ate almost three helpings. Padme looked at him with unconcealed amusement. He smiled at her.

"So, what duties are waiting for me after lunch?" he asked.

Padme became more serious. "Tarkin has some reports for you; Thrawn is waiting with his reports, too, Solard has lashings of messages he refuses to tell me, we have some problems on newly opened borders of Hapes Consortium – Queen Kha wants to take you through that and Lev Torren, the mando armourer wants a hearing."

Anakin sighed and had a drink. "Sounds like a hard day."

Padme shrugged her shoulders.

Anakin sighed again and stood up. "I think I should get on with the job."

"Tarkin, my old good friend, I hope you have some good report for me, because if not, I swear that I will slay you just right where you stand." Anakin said with a big, dangerous smile.

"Bad night?" Tarkin asked amusedly.

"Worse morning." Anakin replied and rubbed his forehead. "Speak."

"The construction of the prototype of Death Star I is successfully initiated. We are starting to construct the framework. We are constructing on Yavin, as you ordered."

"That's fast."

"Everything was prepared; we just needed a planet to start. And Thrawn was so impatient he commanded the construction team to shift to Yavin immediately after he left your office."

"Still, it's almost frighteningly fast."

Tarkin smiled proudly. "That's the new imperial standard, sir."

"Thanks for your report, Tarkin. You can go."

Tarkin bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo." Anakin welcomed him kindly.

"Are you enjoying mutilating of my name, Your Majesty?" Thrawn asked caustically.

Anakin smiled. "Your reports?"

"We successfully subdued the rebellion on Alderaan, but we have suspicion this was just bait. We had to think that we solved the rebellion easily and the real rebellion should enlarge elsewhere."

"But where?"

"Uh… we don't know, sir. But we enquire into it with care. We suspect Chandrila, Byss or Arkania."

"Chandrila? The homeworld of Mon Mothma?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, sir. Honestly, we suspect Chandrila _because_ it's Mon Mothma's planet. Mothma vigorously remonstrated against the declaration of the Galactic Empire, sir."

"I heard." Anakin grimaced. He could imagine how decisive Mothma can be when she doesn't like something.

Thrawn shrugged. "Anyway, we have no proofs, except the thing she's keeping company with Bail Organa, the Senator of Alderaan."

Anakin nodded. "That's not much conclusive proof."

"We will try to obtain better."

"I hope so. So, if it's all…"

"Sure. See you later, Your Majesty."

Anakin parted with him blankly.

"The execution of that Calamari is already done, sir, and we sent the Secura girl on Tatooine." Solard reported.

"Any troubles with her?"

"No, she was lamblike."

"Dupable little baby girl," Anakin grimaced.

Solard smiled a little. "Sir, in the morning, some strange woman came to my office, and…"

"What woman?"

"Zabrak woman, dark hair, red horns…"

_Maris._ "And…?"

"She gave me this for you." Solard answered and handed a letter to him.

Anakin unfolded the paper.

_My dear wise master,_

_I am so sorry I was not able to tell it to you personally, but I left my rooms and return as soon as I can. You know, as a Sith, I have much more power, and much, much more freedom. Now I can do all the things I wanted to do before, when I was a Jedi. There are some people who deserve revenge and now I am able to execute it. I had to do that before you will start my training._

_So sorry,_

_Maris Brood… Darth Tempt_

Anakin set his teeth. He threw the paper on the desk, bent backward and raked his hair.

"Maris, Maris. My young, eager apprentice. If you don't be careful of fire, you will burn yourself." He whispered.

_I know how dangerous the fire can be._

"Sir?" Solard made himself heard.

"Yes?"

"Can I go? I have some duties."

"Sure."

"Can I let mister Torren in? He's starting to be impatient."

"Yes," he answered wearily.

Solard bowed quickly and rushed out. He recognized when his lord was upset, and he knew that when he's upset, it's not the best idea to be with him in one room.

Anakin stood in front of a scanner, what scanned his body. Torren needed his proportions to make the armour. He was glad that he didn't need something hard to please, because he could chew over the thing with Maris.

How could she? She just ran away and let him there just like that just with the letter that she will return right after she will pay her revenge. But why she so mattered that she has to do it before he will start her real training? Anakin half hoped and half doubted that she will tell him after her return. One part of him even doubted she will return.

He realized with surprise that he regrets that she's not here. He hoped that he will not start missing her. That would be really bizarre.

What can he do now?

"_Peace is a lie, there is only passion._

_Through passion, I gain strength._

_Through strength, I gain power._

_Through power, I gain victory._

_Through victory, my chains are broken._

_The Force shall free me." _

The Sith code. Anakin still tried to understand it. Not just the face of it, he tried to understand the implication. But it seemed it hasn't any.

"Peace is a lie…" he said stilly and wrote it down. Peace is a lie. Simple. There can be no peace, never, peace is just some unattainable goal that liars like Jedi are trying to reach.

He looked at the Darth Vectivus' holocron that he had in front of him. He tapped on it. It opened again and the record replayed.

"_There is only passion…"_

Anakins mind somehow lost its way to Padme.

He called back the feeling of power when he protected her. Against Obi-Wan, against Sidious. They both could harm her because of him. Sidious said Padme's making him weaker, but he thought that the passion he feels for her empowers him.

"_Through passion, I gain strength…"_

Even the Sith code says the same. Stronger passion, stronger Sith. But, maybe…they don't mean it like passion between two people. Maybe they mean a passion for power, for respect…

He shook his head.

No, it must be as he thinks. He felt the power stronger in him when fighting for Padme, after all.

"_Through strength, I gain power…"_

Simple again. You must be strong to obtain a power. Passion leads to strength, strength leads to power…

"_Through power, I gain victory…"_

Power leads to victory… Powerful ones always win.

"_Through victory, my chains are broken…"_

And when you win your fight, when you're victorious, you are free.

"_The Force shall free me."_

Force. Force allows us to use passion as an instrument to gain strength, strength allows us to obtain power and power helps us to win, to gain the victory. And the victory breaks the chains, frees, gives freedom. To use the force for applying passion for gaining strength…

It's never-ending circle.

He felt like he just opened his eyes.

From the public command of the Galactic Emperor of the Great Galactic Empire [confirmed by the Galactic Senate by the twelfth day of the third month, year…DATA INVOLVED…]

"Every kid from Coruscant, older than five years and younger than fifteen, force-sensitive, but not accepted by the former Jedi Order to become the Jedi Youngling, has to be sent to the Great Hall of the Imperial Palace, by the thirteenth day of the third month. Every family who will deny its kid will be punished in an exemplary way."

Anakin sat in the big armchair in small room nearby the Great Hall. His face was surprisingly not covered by cape. He was dressed in black clothes, from top to toe. He looked elegant and old in it.

Solard, one of the fewer officers that saw his lord's face, opened the door from within.

This boy was approximately nine years old. It was the twentieth kid Anakin saw this day, but he still didn't choose any of them. He started to hate their guts.

The human boy was small, fair-haired and handsome.

"Name?" Anakin asked.

"Eliash Ignica." Boy replied shyly.

Anakin looked into his nutbrown eyes. He wasn't much strong in the force. Maybe he can excel in the lightsaber combat.

"Have you ever been playing a Jedi with your friends, Eliash?" he asked.

Boy nodded. "Yes."

"You played that you have a lightsabers and fight?"

Eliash smiled. "Yes. We had a durasteel canes."

"Were you good in that battles?"

Eliash simpered proudly. "Yes, the best, sir."

Anakin drew out a training saber, similar to the ones Jedi used when training Younglings. He assembled it last evening.

"Show me something." He bid Eliash.

Eliash got the saber and ignited the blade. He almost yelped when it really appeared. Then he looked around.

"I need something to battle with." He said.

Anakin smiled and winked. "Here."

The slide door opened and a training droid drove in. He started the simplest training program he had.

The droid rushed at Eliash. Eliash raised a blade. He was limber, fast, resourceful, but a bit graceless, maybe even crude. He knocked the droid down in few whiles.

"That one was good. Far better than my friends." Eliash grinned. He was red in face and breathless.

"You were good, too, Eliash. Good intuition. Good adapting to the rival. I think you can be really good if someone teaches you." Anakin commended him.

Eliash smiled. "Really? Do you think so?" he asked impatiently. Then he winced. "Uh, I mean… Sir."

Anakin laughed. "You are really an interesting little boy, Eliash. I can't believe Jedi haven't taken you with them."

Eliash's face darkened. "My parents couldn't, too."

"No matter, Eliash Ignica. You're accepted."

Eliash raised his eyebrows. "Where?"

"To the new Elite Imperial School."

This idea occurred to Anakin, when he thought about the One Sith thing. One master, more apprentices. Why not? He just need some enough force-sensitive kids, or at least skilful in the lightsaber combat, and a time to teach them. So he invented this EIS. Because the most of force-sensitive kids were killed during the Jedi Purge, he had to look round between the kids who were not taken to the Jedi order from different reasons. And because he couldn't call together all the force-sensitives in the galaxy, he decided to start with the Coruscant.

Eliash's eyes widened and shined. "Really? That's great!" he said keenly. No matter he didn't know what it is.

"You can go and tell it to your parents." Anakin said and winked on Solard.

Solard opened the door and Eliash with fast farewell ran to his parents.

Anakin smiled. "He has to teach patience and propriety, but otherwise he is an acceptable boy. Give his parents necessary papers."

"Yes, sir." Solard replied and went to manage it.

The little, blue-skinned Chagrian girl went into the room.

"Arido Amedda," Anakin smiled.

Arido answered his smile gracefully. She looked very grow up though she was just ten years old.

She dropped a curtsy. "Uncle Vader," she said playfully.

Anakin looked pleased by her provocation. He showed her the training saber. "Do you know what that is?"

"Lightsaber." Arido replied simply.

"Can you use it?"

Arido raised it from his hands with the force and ignited it in the air. She smiled when the blade appeared. "We will see, am I right?"

Anakin winked and the droid appeared. Arido stood slightly stridden, concentrated expression on her face, hands crossed on her chest. Lightsaber started spinning; it made a wide shining circle. This white whirring circle got through the droid and slashed him on two halves. Lightsaber stopped spinning, turned off and returned on Anakin's hand.

Anakin smiled all the time. "How could your parents hide you?"

Arido smiled, too. "That's family secret." She said.

"Accepted."

"Where do you want to put it, Skywalker?" Tarkin asked when Anakin explained him his plans.

Anakin didn't want to admit he has no idea. He wasn't a planning type. "Do you have any ideas?"

"I think we can use some former Jedi places. Ossus or Dantooine."

"This is a bit out-of-hand if you take into account that I want to teach this kids _by myself_."

"Have any better ideas?"

"Clear the Jedi Temple for me."

"Are you sure it's the best idea?"

"Yes. Now, when I am thinking about it again, I am sure that it's the best solution. Clean it."

"Okay, as you wish, my lord."

Ten kids stood in the row in front of him. The oldest one was a thirteen-years-old Arkanian girl and the youngest was six years old human boy.

Anakin walked along the row back and forth.

The first in the row was our well-known human blond Eliash Ignica. Next to him a lethan girl Tirishah Baldiac stood; she was from the old Twi'lek family with a really old sith tradition. Her friend next to her, the oldest Arkanian was called Liliah. There was one Togruta boy, Cal, Tholothian girl Finna, Mirialan Nico, another Twi'lek, boy named Gni, Zabrak girl Bidi, Arido Amedda and the youngest boy from orphanage, human one Galen.

There were just two kids really powerful in the force, Arido and Galen. The girl Tiri was good, too, but not as much as these two.

Galen was quite powerful, though he wasn't as fluent and winsome as Arido. He was quiet, reserved and reticent.

"Sir? Why are you doing that?" Tholothian asked.

Anakin stopped. "I am thinking, Finna." He answered. "I am trying to think out how to explain it all to you."

"Just tell it to us. We are bored!" Bidi moaned.

Anakin smiled. "Well. I am going to teach you. Teach you the arts of the force, teach you the craft of lightsaber combat, and then, when you will catch up the basics, I will teach you the arts of manipulating with the dark side of the force."

Tiri's eyes widened. "The dark side? We will be like a sith?"

"Exactly."

Tiri gave a excited yell. "Yes! Me! Finally! Again! After all these years!"

"No one told me I am going to be a _Sith_," Galen hissed disgustedly.

"If someone did, you would not be willing to come here." Vader said simply.

Galen snorted. Vader threw a short look on him.

"The first you have to learn is a _respect_ to your master," Vader snarled and slapped Galen.

Galen rubbed his ear.

"Respect is the most important thing you have to learn before I will start your training." Vader continued.

"When will we start learning the lightsaber fight?" Gni asked impatiently.

He received a box on the ear, too. "And patience is the next one. You should_ never _interrupt your master when he's speaking. Is that clear?"

"Yes, master." Kids said almost at the same time.

Vader smiled delightedly. "You are learning fast, apprentices. I have no another work for you right now. Go to your rooms and _don't leave them_. Clear?"

"Yes, master."

"Dismiss!"

All the kids went to their rooms, except Arido.

Vader looked at her. "You know I have a soft spot for you, Arido, but if I say something, you should do it."

"You spoke about respect." Arido said stilly.

He raised his eyebrows. "Yes. And…?"

"You wanted to know how my parents hid me from Jedis."

"You want to tell me?"

"I want to tell you that: My parents knew about Palpatine's plans, and my mother didn't want me to become a Jedi anyway. She didn't want me to go to the assembly in the Hall. I wanted."

"You want to show me your loyalty?"

"I really want to learn, master."

"I still don't understand why you are telling me that."

"Once you will." She said shyly. Her usual sureness was gone. She looked like small, scared girl.

"You had a vision?"

Arido nodded.

"What?"

"Can't tell you." Arido said. "Goodnight, master."

She went to her room silently.

Uh…This one was short, too, well? Almost all the things in this chapter weren't planned, so it can look like that. Don't have anything else to tell…or maybe… GALEN IS HERE FINALLY! I'm sorry, but I love Starkiller ;] BTW, I had to think much how to throw him in. And I succeeded! Wow, I'm so happy! The next chap will be…uh, I hope soon.

Peace, love and Sith,

Darth Moya ˆˆ


	11. Chapter 8: Apprentices

"Queen Kha, haven't spoken to each other for a long time, well?"

Lani Re smiled. "Yes, Lord Vader. It's making my heart sad, too."

"They told me that we have some problems on boards."

"Yes, as I was afraid, smugglers got in my territory and that's something that really annoys me."

"You could expect that." Vader replied shortly.

"I hoped _you_ will do your best to prevent it." she snapped.

"I had much more important things to deal with. Public was very anxious about all the changes."

"Rather public than a powerful ally?" Lani Re asked offencedly.

"Better to lose an ally than to lose a whole public and risk a rebellion, my Queen."

"Still, I hoped that you will be more _helpful_."

"Looks like you made a mistake, Queen Kha."

"Maybe, lord Vader, but we can still settle our problem. Just listen to me, I actually have a solution."

"First tell me: Why is it so bothering you? Smugglers often import thing that are scarce in the country. It's not as bad as it looks."

Kha pressed her lips. "They are importing a spice into my territory! I _never_ tolerated spice barons in my land!" she snapped.

Vader raised his hands defensively. "Okay, sure, I understand. Problems with spice barons are frequent in my Empire, too. So? What solution you have?"

"Send me troops and ships to watch the boards. I can't cover the whole space with my own ships."

"That can be expensive."

"You are a powerful Empire, I'm sure you can be without few ships and troops."

"Imperial army is pretty reduced after the war."

"I heard that clone troopers are mostly in your army."

"And the point is that…?"

"You have to start accepting common troops from civilians."

"That sounds a bit like manipulation, Queen Kha."

Kha simpered. "It's just an advice. From a loyal ally."

"Powerful ally."

"Still, just an advice."

"Torren? Didn't expect you so early." Vader said when he saw Lev in his office, waiting for him.

"Why not? The plans of your armour were already completed; we just needed your proportions. And we have new droids. They are faster and better." Torren replied.

"So my armour is completed?" Vader asked and went to his desk.

"Yes. Both versions."

"Two versions?"

"Yes, I decided to do two armours, because your idea of creepiness and magnificence were hard to fuse, I made two armours. One for use when you want to look imposing and one when you need just to look eerie."

"Show them to me." Vader said and winked on him.

Torren slumped over and started to do something with silver case laid on the floor. He spread it. In the transparent case, he had the silver and black armour, composed from a helmet, armour itself and few more technical stuff.

"We needn't install these things in. Just if you want us to." He added.

Vader stepped forward. Helm was tall and black with a silver stripe in the middle. Eye-slits were narrow and sloping. It looked a little like the helmets of Palpatine's guard. Armour itself was elegant, black and fitting by sight.

"Nice." Vader appreciated.

"Thanks, my lord. Want to see the other one?" Torren asked.

Vader nodded.

Torren opened the second case.

_**[I am not going to describe it! Just our well-known Vader armour, well?]**_

"Good. Can be useful." Vader said and touched the transparent plastic.

"Well. So? My payout?" Torren asked with a smile of a tradesman.

"I am going to pay extra for the second armour, do I?"

"You bet!"

Vader smiled unhappily. "Talk to Pestage. He will give you your money." He said and winked on the man in the corner.

Pestage came up to them.

"Take care that Torren will be paid." He ordered shortly.

Pestage nodded. Vader took the cases form Torren and left.

Padme knocked and entered.

"My dear, the hapan envoy is here..." she started but winced when she saw Anakin.

He stood in the front of a mirror, the black and silver armour on him.

"Good gracious!" she shouted out. "What the hell is that?"

He turned to her with surprise. "Padme, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to tell you that the hapan envoy just landed in the Central Docks." She dashed off.

"Fine! We can welcome him and I can test this darned thing in action."

"I will ask you once more: What thing? What is that?"

"An armour, don't you see?"

"Darn, sure I see it, but for what, by the stars, do you need it?"

"It hides my face, protect me. What displeases you?"

"I feel like I'm talking to droid, not to my husband."

"You never talked to 3PO?"

"Of course I did, but, damned, this is something else!"

A girl walked into the room without knocking.

"My lady, we have to go." She said impatiently.

"Uh... oh... sure, Elle, just a moment." Padme said to her.

Girl disappeared.

"We will talk later." She hissed on him, hung on to him and drew him out to the corridor.

There a bunch of Padme's handmaidens joined them and they together rushed to the Central Docks. Down there they met Rhea, along with Tarkin, Thrawn, new main head of Imperial Intelligence, Ysanne Isard and few more people from the usual welcoming band.

They walked to the elegant slim golden and white ship. Someone was just walking down the stairs. Anakin soon realized it is a group of people.

The main one was a woman in the middle. She had long, red wavy hair and blue eyes. She was dressed in simple turquoise dress. She walked slowly to them and bowed in front of Vader.

"Emperor Vader, it's a pleasure to meet you." She said.

"I know." Vader replied shortly.

She tried not to notice his indelicacy. "My name is Somi. Somi Kha. I am the Chume'da of the Hapes Consortium."

"Lani Re Kha is your mother, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well. We don't have a Hapan Embassy, so you have to stay on the Nubian Embassy for now. Nubian Ambassador Bibble will welcome you here."

"Thank you, my lord."

"Marks of Power? What do you mean with that?" Liliah asked.

"The people in the history wore marks to show their affiliation to some organizations or to people. Sith did that, too. I want you to carry my mark. The mark of Darth Vader's apprentice, the mark of EIS." Vader said.

"How does this mark look like?" Mirialan Nico asked. He himself was already tattooed, he had a row of a dark blue squares on cheeks.

"That's it. I want you to make it. As you feel it. Imagine. Even a Sith needs an imagination."

"It must be sharp and spiky- as a Sith needs to be!" Tiri said.

"But it has to be nice! I will never wear some doodles on myself." Finna added.

"Will we wear it on head, hands or where?" Gni asked.

"Everywhere you want." Vader answered.

"You are not helping us, master!" Arido smiled.

"I am not trying to. You have to be decisive and independent."

"Stop arguing, guys! Let's make some designs, everyone. Then we will compare them and choose the best. We can combine them, too." Liliah said.

"Horseshit!" Cal shouted on her.

"Do you have some better solution, Cal?" Lilah snapped at him.

"Yeah. Let us live, dimwit!" Gni joined the argue.

"You don't want me as your enemy, you weequay head." Tiri took Lilah's side.

"Yep? Why? You're just a bragging girlie, Tirishah!" Cal called.

Tiri drew out her lightsaber. "Want to test it?" she provoked him.

Cal did the same. "Yeah! Let's try who is a weequay here!"

"Stop!"

Everyone turned to Arido, who shouted the sentence.

"Stop it now, guys and I shall not hurt you." She said dangerously.

Gni laughed. "You?"

"Yeah, I, weequay head. I am not going to use some of you to do it. That would be a waste of talent." She hissed.

"You're just a show-off, Amedda!" Cal said.

"No more arguing!" Finna shouted.

"Oh my sith, is this going to end?" Galen groaned loudly and jumped from the table he sat on. He went to the middle of arguing circle and ignited his training saber.

Vader smiled. This is a smart one. Aggression is sometimes an only thing able to calm people down.

Galen swung his blade before Cal's eyes. "Shut up, Togruta oaf." He said darkly.

Cal looked at the younger boy, mostly on his saber, with awe. Gni looked at his friend and laughed. Galen looked at him and moved his blade to his face.

"If you want to say anything, tell it to my blade, buddy." He said.

Gni goggled at him. Girls, Finna and Tiri, started to titter.

"He's shitting bricks!" Finna gibed at Gni.

"It's a wonder he didn't make a mess in his pants!" Tiri added.

Galen glanced back at them. "Sith are not great gentlemen and I don't have any problem with hurting girls."

"What? You little sod! You are threatening Tirishah Baldiac!" Tiri yelled at him.

Galen placed his blade to Tiri's neck. "I don't have an idea what it means, and trust that I don't care."

Tiri looked at him peevishly, but saved her breath. Galen pulled the blade away and turned around.

"Anyone else has some problem?" he asked.

No one sounded.

"Well." Galen ended it and turned off his saber. Then he sat back on the desk.

Cal watched attentively every Galen's move. "I think that Liliah's idea wasn't so bad." He said slowly.

"Yea, it's quite good." Gni added.

Liliah looked at Galen. "Thanks, guys. So, let's go."

"Eliash, show us your idea." Liliah bid him.

Eliash showed them a sign on back of his hand. It looked like very roughly painted diamond.

"What it is?" Tiri asked confusedly.

"Uh...a diamond, don't you see? Like the best, number one. We are the best of the best, the aces, elites, aren't we?" Eliash frantically tried to explain it.

"Okay, okay, hothead, we understand!" Finna smiled.

Eliash blushed. "Err... yea, sorry."

"Once again, it's okay, spitfire." Arido assured him.

"Who wants to show us his idea?" Liliah asked.

"Me!" Tiri yelped. She showed them her forearm. She had a five-pointed star between two sabres on it. "See? Cool, huh?"

"Yeah, it looks good, but... does it have some meaning?" Cal asked.

Tiri blushed. "Err... yea, sure. Two times five is ten, well? And we are ten. And we are stars. These sabres are self-explaining."

Arido tittered. "Must admire your improvisation, Tiri."

"So? The next one?" Liliah called on.

"Well, now or never," Galen sighed and turned up his sleeve.

"Wow! That's nice! You are really good in painting, Marek!" Finna said.

Vader tossed. _Marek, Marek. Kento Marek. Kento Marek must be Galen's father. Galen Marek, so Galen is a Jedi sonny. Oh my... I was so stupid! The Jedi from Phaeda!_

"But... this is a symbol of the Galactic Empire!" Arido said with surprise.

Vader tossed once more and came down to earth.

"Yes. We are going to be slaveys of the Empire now, don't we? So why not to show it?" Galen said with a deep sarcasm in his voice.

Vader slapped him heavily. "I talked about a respect to the master. Your master is an Emperor, the face on the Empire. Insult the Empire and you insulted your master."

"Shit," Galen snarled stilly.

Vader gave him another slap. "Be good, Galen!"

"Sith are not good." Galen said.

"You are not a Sith, apprentice. You are just a little boy, milksop, softie. No Sith. No Jedi. You are nothing. Be obedient and I will help you to become a Sith. Shit on it and you will become a dead man. Clear?"

"Yes, master."

"Well. Go on."

Liliah watched his master disappearing in the shadow in the corner. "But your idea is good and painting even better. Other ones?"

Liliah showed him the final proposal of the Power Mark. It looked... well... _chaotic_. They tried to add all the things on one painting.

"I have one personal suggestion. Take the Galen's idea and the Tiri's idea and make the main motive. Then add your personal sign. You are not all the same, you have different personalities. Show it on your mark."

Liliah goggled at him. "Uh... thanks, master. Good idea. Thanks."

Anakin looked at the paper. Galen, by the Liliah's instructions, drew the Galactic Empire symbol and added the Tiri's star to the middle.

"Nice. This can be the main motive. Now think out your personal signs and settle the placing."

"We already thought the placing up." Cal said.

"Yes? Where are you going to put it?"

Bidi touched the side of her neck. "Here, sir."

Vader shrugged. "This can be. Go on."

He walked along the row. Kids retained their hair so he could look on the temporary tattoos.

Liliah's personal sign was a black lily. Its blossoms "grew" from the imperial symbol. It was beautifully painted. Galen had a talent.

Mirialan Nico had spikes around the symbol. It somehow fitted to his face and his presence.

Zabrak cutie Bidi's symbol was winged.

The symbol on Arido Amedda's neck looked like it is placed in someone's hand.

Togruta boy Cal's symbol had horns.

Finna's symbol was placed in something like spider web.

Two sabres crossed the imperial sign on Tiri's neck.

Eliash Ignica's sign was on fire.

The Galen Marek's mark was painted by Tiri. The symbol was like an iris of the eye.

"Good work, my apprentices, good work. Invention, art, patience, finesse, sedulity. You taught more today than you even think. To your rooms. Now."

"Yes, sir. Good evening, master." Kids said.

"Dismiss."

Everyone, Arido included, obeyed that day.

_**Perhaps meanwhile, elsewhere...**_

_Smart man always leaves him a backdoor. If something will happen, you know where to go..._

Scarred man walked into the dark room with these words in his mind. Things got bad last time. His master was dead. Or...maybe...

In the weak light from corridor, he saw a man in the corner of the empty room. He was squat in the shadows, covering his face with his hands.

"M-master..." he said stilly.

Man raised his head.

**Authors note:**

**Nothing much in this chap, huh? Maybe except the end... hmm... can't wait how it will continue. I have to start writing it soon. So, nothing else I can say. Perhaps... Galen is a cool guy! He settled all the idiots down! I'm sorry I can't show you the symbol – I have it on my PC. No matter,**

_**Peace, love and Sith,**_

_**Darth Moya ˆˆ**_


	12. Chapter 9: Allies

Man raised his head. "My apprentice...Sacrus...you have come..." he said. _I haven't awaited that. I thought he will not be so loyal when he expected me dead._

"Yes, master. As fast as I could." Sacrus answered and walked slowly to him.

Sidious winked and unwittingly raised his hand to defend. "I have trained you well, Sacrus." He said.

Sacrus grinned and his face frighteningly wried. "Maybe, master."

"Help me stand up." Sidious commanded hissily.

Sacrus took his hand and helped him rise.

"You look young, master." Sacrus remarked and eyed his master.

Sidious' hair was red and dishevelled; his eyes blue, with a weak yellow shade. He was slim, though still not much tall. He wore simple white tunic and brown trousers.

"My body is young, apprentice, my mind old." Sidious corrected him.

"Where are we going to go now?" Sacrus asked.

"To Korriban. I need to recover. And then...we will see."

/\\\\

"Ani, Ani, Ani."Padme smiled and raked his hair lovingly.

"Finally together for some moments, right?" Anakin asked.

"Yeah. Finally out of work. Oh, I love festivals!" she fetched sigh.

"Though it is all-galaxy grief day?"

"Though it is anything! We can be together, we don't have to work, we can be with our kids...I just love it!"

"Me too." He said stilly and sunk his nose into her hair.

"Oh lord, I'm so tired. And happy. And I can't stop talking!" she laughed.

"We have to do something with that, honey." Anakin smiled and kissed her.

Padme still tried to say something, but her words were muttering. Anakin pulled back.

"You are really talkative today, bunny." He laughed.

"Cause I am so happy."

He hugged her tightly. And then...he felt a great disturbance in the force. It was short, but strong, and it left a splitting echo in his head.

_What the... my Sith, what happened?_

His commlink breeped.

"Oh no, who can call you today?" Padme moaned.

"I have to take it." He said and tried to get out of her embrace.

"No, Ani, please, no. I want this day to stay as perfect as it is now."

_A bit late, dear. _"I really have to take it. I promise I will not leave." He said and sat down. He picked up the commlink and walked away from the room.

He picked the call up.

"Hello, master. Look good. Cropped your hair?" a playful voice sounded.

"Maris? You are the last one I would expect."

"Why? You know I love you, master. Couldn't be without you such a long time, I missed you."

"The reason you're calling me?"

Maris laughed. "I want to tell you something. I think you can appreciate it."

"Really? Where are you?"

Maris smiled. "On Tatooine. Sure you know this planet."

"What do you want to tell me?"

"I heard rumours. About some Jedis hidden there. Tatooine is a great hidey-hole, isn't it? It's a dump, out of the Coruscant's hand."

"Hidden Jedi? If it will be like Phaeda...have you verified it?"

"Of course. By myself. Feel some Jedi here. Totally. Even a powerful ones. Hidden at Scomi Nocca's. Maybe they are under Jabba Hutt's wings."

"You are not willing to do the things there for me by yourself, are you?"

"No, I am not. I'm sorry, but I am tracing someone and I have to go before the scent will cool off."

"Who?"

"My thing, master."

"You are rude, Maris."

"I have to be, when I want to keep my privacy, master."

Anakin grimaced.

"Sorry that I spoiled your mood, master. I'll go."

"Wait a minute, Maris..."

"Aye?"

"Did you feel something? Few minutes ago."

"I disturbance in the Force? Yes, I felt it. I thought it is from your side."

"No, it isn't. No matter, I will have a look at it. Goodbye, Maris."

"Goodbye, Ani." She smiled playfully and turned the call off before he could rebuke her.

/\\\\

"Yes, master Vader, I felt it, but I didn't cause it." Arido said.

"It was strong, huh?"

"Yes. Really strong. It has been a lot of time since I felt such a great disturbance like that last time."

"I feel it like that as well. Don't you know it the others felt it, too?"

"Everyone felt it, master. We were just on breakfast and we all were shocked by that."

"So no one of you caused that?"

"No, master."

"Well. I will do one more thing and then I will start your next lesson."

"Yes, sir. I will account the others to it."

/\\\\

"I need a commando for tomorrow. And a ship." Anakin said.

"We will provide you the best clone commando we have." Tarkin assured him.

"I hoped so."

"What do you need them for?"

"One of my very credible people found some surviving Jedi on Tatooine. It is verified, not like Phaeda."

"Nice. Are you sure you want to wait till tomorrow? They can escape."

"I owe this day to Padme."

/\\\\

He had to escape Padme's endless enthusiasm, so he left her with kids and hid in his office. He wasted time with signing on papers.

He raised one paper and looked at it. A command for military office to accept civilians into Imperial Army. Order 78, codename Storm.

_An army of one man, but the right man for the job._

He called back this call that clones often used. Whole army, but all the same, all brothers. One man in thousands. It would be great to create this bond between his apprentices. One united mind is sometimes better than ten independent. Brotherhood rather than rivalry. But Sith always used rivalry to train their younglings.

He sought through the files he had on the table and took out the ten files of the EIS students. He sorted them to row and opened them. The first paper was all hidden under a big photo.

The first in the row was Liliah. She has the common Arkanian appearance, white skin, eyes and hair. She was quite pretty; she had soft, fine outlines and nice hair. Her hair were short, she had tips below ears and one lock of hair black-dyed. She often painted her lips black so she looked appealing and unwonted. She was clever and calm, better material for Jedi than for Sith, in case she wasn't so ambitious. That made her suited even for being a Sith. And she was loyal. That is more than he could hope for.

Nico had close-cut black hair and very dark green eyes. Traditional Mirialan tattoo made his face more interesting. Sharp lines of his face and little slit eyes caused he looked a bit cunning. His clean, gold skin was attractive and his eyes bewitching. He was a one you would not like to meet in the forest at night. He was politic, but resolute. Anakin noticed that all the time his fellows fought, Nico silently watched his reactions. Anakin was sure that if Galen didn't gash the situation, Nico would do it soon by himself.

The next was the Zabrak girl Bidi Celaka, who still reminded him of Maris, though she didn't look much like her. Bidi's skin was dark brown, like plain chocolate. Her hairs were silk, dark violet and long. Her eyes were blue and shining with passion. Bidi herself told him she loves piloting and blasters. She was a bit wild and undisciplined, but her passion and wildness can be used in the battle.

Twi'lek boy Gni was grass-green, with big dark eyes. He had a foxy expression in his face. His tchin was tattooed; he had a small sign on it referring to his former slave-holder, some Zygerrian slaver who was dead for a long time. Gni was hardened by the time he was slave, and made Anakin somehow feel sorry for him and think of him as someone who knows the same as he does. Gni was sly, smart, but a bit fawning. He had a tongue like a razor and he was subtler than most of his fellows. He was malicious, but he could control himself. And the ability of self-control was the thing that made him useful. And he knew when is the right time to stop, though sometimes he stopped just at the time someone went on his throat.

And then...Arido Amedda. Anakin didn't know why she so amazed him though she was cute with her blue skin and violescent lethorns. Her eyes were mauve and big, at least on Chagrian standards. She was still very young, so she didn't look much womanly, but he was sure she will grow into a true beauty. Mourn for the men that will fall in love with this charming girl.

And the Togruta boy Cal. He had dark blue and white stripes on his lekku and very fair orange skin. His eyes were black and his montrals low. He had white markings around eyes and on chin. Cal was quarrelsome, self-confident, but he really tightly held with his friends. He was good in lightsaber fight, where his firmness and hyperactivity were useful. He liked cutting things with his saber. Great one for sith training.

Tholotian girl Finna reminded him of Jedi Master Adi Gallia. She has light brown skin, big, full lips and black eyes. She was bald like Asajj Ventress, but she always wore some kind of cap with black braids. Finna was really girly-girly. She loved nice things and she never missed a chance to gibe at someone. But this all disappeared when she manipulated with force or fought. In the heat of the battle, she was precise and careful about every move.

Little Sithie Tirishah, often called Tiri by her fellows. Crimson lethan skin, eyes orange like a peel of a big grapefruit, nice face, full lips. She was nice by most rates, though childlike. She had black dress on her lekku and on head. She had a big enthusiasm, she loved Sith almost fanatically. She herself loved games and contentions. She was playful in her behaviour, she never lost her smile and she never gave up. She was enough strong in the force and enough efficient to become a Sith apprentice.

Eliash Ignica. Nice boy, chubby cheeks, fair hair, nutbrown eyes. One braid on side of the head. A bit shy, noteless, but a feral devil while fighting. Perhaps this boy was loony, but a great combatant. He felt he is smitten with Tiri, he watched her every move with fascination.

And the mysterious one Galen, the Jedi sonny. Still childy cute, brown hair with a crew cut, brown eyes, hard face. He was serene, but rock solid. There were no childish sparks in his eyes, they were stony. Anakin saw that few of his fellows look up to him. A solitary stone in the storm.

Anakin made these findings on the basis of the impression they left in him after the things that happened yesterday and on their first meeting.

"My little Sith troopers," he said lovingly.

/\\\\

"You are kids raised in the war. Hardened by the wartime. See if you are tough enough to pass this trial."

Children watched him attentively. They sat on everything that was sit-able. Galen sat on his favourite place on the table, with Tiri and Bidi on his sides. Eliash sat on some plastic cube near them and peeped at Tiri. Liliah sat on the pillow laid on the floor with her legs crossed with Finna leant on her shoulder. Cal, Gni and Arido sat in the triangle on meditation mats. Nico sat on the floor.

"Watch this." He said and kneeled on the floor. He laid something on the floor and spun it. Then he stepped back. All kids lent forward and looked at the thing spinning on the floor. It was ordinary, small whipping top.

Few of them raised eyes and looked at their master.

"Okay, master. A whipping top, we see. But what are we going to do?" Bidi asked.

Anakin smiled. "As I said. Watch it. Watch it till it will stop spinning."

"What? Why?" Tiri asked.

"It's a trial of patience. We have to endure this."Liliah said and watched the point of the whipping top attentively.

"Well done, Liliah. As she has said. Start now." He ordered.

They all sunk eyes on the whipping top.

"This is goofiness." Cal said after a while.

Anakin, who just walked around him, slapped him so heavily that his chin hit his chest and his teeth clicked.

"Be quiet, Nittem!" he called him to order.

"Yes, master." He muttered and watched.

/\\\\

"This doesn't have any sense!" Tiri shouted rattily.

"Shut up, Baldiac." Anakin warned her.

"Why? How can we learn patience from watching some stupid spinning thing?" she asked peevishly.

"The main thing you have to learn is that when your master says something, you should do it. And save your breath when you are ordered to." He answered coldly.

"Blabs." She hissed.

She received a strong hit with a durasteel cane.

"Oh sith! Ouch!" she yelled and held her head.

Everyone raised their heads and looked at her. Vader walked slowly around the circle and hit everyone with the cane, too.

"Master?" Tiri whined sorely.

"Yes, Tirishah?" Vader asked fatherlike.

"I am afraid I am bleeding." She said and showed him her bloodily hands.

"Me too." Finna added and looked at her fingers stained with blood.

"Can I treat them, master?" Liliah asked.

"No, I will do it by myself." Vader said. He took a medical kit from the wall and started to disinfect and bandage their wounds.

"Thanks, master." Tiri muttered when he was finished with her.

"Are you okay, cooky?" Galen jogged her.

"Fine. Totally. I just…my head swim." Tiri mumbled slowly.

Galen looked at her with pity and then looked at his master's back with spite.

"Louse," he hissed.

"Galen!" Bidi took him short under breath.

"What? He's terrible! He's a sadist! He will kill us all soon if things go like that any longer." He replied stilly.

"Don't want to know what you want to do with it." Bidi sealed it.

"First I want to stop this madness." Galen said.

Nico was quicker. He was noteless, but he lent forward and drew out a pocketknife. He pushed the blade to the whipping top. It rubbed a blade for a while and then it stopped and fell on the side. Nico hardly drew off when it clapped.

Vader raised his head and smiled. He finished the fasciation of Finna's head.

"Okay." He said. He walked slowly around the circle and stopped at Nico. He raised the cane and tapped on his head.

Nico nervously bit his lips.

"Patience is not your strong point, well, Nico?" he asked and tapped him with the cane once more.

"Er..." Nico uttered.

"But you have a brain and this is something I value." Vader added and put the cane aside.

"Thanks, master." Nico mumbled.

Vader gave him a box in the ear. "This is for your hastiness." He said.

"Yes, master."

Then he gave him a small case. "This is for your cleverness."

"What is that, master?" Gni asked.

"Tools for a lightsaber assembly." Vader explained. "For the ones that passed this trial."

"But... you need some supplies to make a lightsaber." Cal said.

"The supplies will be the rewards for passing trials."

"Is Nico really the only one that passed? We others..." Liliah started.

"Who said you didn't?" Vader asked. He walked on to the table.

He passed Tiri without a stop.

"For your arrogance,"

He passed Galen.

"For intriguing against your master,"

He stopped at Bidi and gave her a case. "You should not receive that because you listened to him, but..."

He walked on and gave a case to Liliah and to Finna with silent sorry. He gave it to Gni and Arido, but passed Cal.

"For doubting about your master," he explained.

He walked to the middle of the room and picked up the whipping top.

"Lesson ended. Back to your rooms. I am allowing everyone that passed to move in the building freely. The others have a command to stay in their rooms in any case. Clear?"

"Yes, master."

"Dismiss."

"For the Empire!" kids – the ones that passed – called with two fingers on a star in the middle of the symbol on their necks.

Anakin smiled. "Dismiss. Silent dismiss."

/\\\\

**Authors Note:**

**This is a shortie, too. Looks like Padme and Ani don****'t have a while of peace, well? Poor ones. Ani and Maris play some game what even I don't see through...do you know what the hell they are doing? Well, I wanted to note that I **_**don't**_** agree with Vader's educational methods. I wanted to show some trait of his personality.**

**Next Time: Back to Tatooine!**

**Peace, love and Sith,**

**Darth Moya ˆˆ**

Decama


	13. Chapter 10: Any Questions?

Clone commando stood prepared on the landing area. Four men with the clone captain, their leader. They all had heavy white clone commando armour with green stripes. Few steps away, close to each other, Liliah and Gni were standing. Anakin chose them for this mission by lot. They both had true lightsabers at their belts, not the training ones. Anakin sent it to them with their equipment for the mission and the order to show up in the Central Docks this morning.

Gni had a black headdress and suit, with breastplate and leg-guards. He had one small blaster in the case at his belt and two detonators in the pouches.

Liliah had similar equipment, but her blaster was bigger and she had a transmitter and a scanner in her kit, too.

Clones saluted. "Good morning, sir!"

"Good morning." Anakin smiled and walked to them slowly.

"Storm squad on duty!" captain said.

"Death for the Empire!" Kids exclaimed the extended combat exclamation.

"We will hope that that will not be necessary today." Vader tossed. "At ease, Storms!"

Storms made a way for him so he could go aboard. He was followed with Gni and Lilliah and the Storm squad closed the company.

"Assika, Ergen, stay near to me." Vader ordered and disappeared in the officer's cabin.

Liliah Assika and Gni Ergen (clear?) kept sentry at his door, with hands on their lightsaber's hilts.

Liliah looked at Gni. "Me, or you?" she asked.

Gni shrugged. "Rather you. I think he likes you. Definitely more than me."

Liliah shrugged, too. "If you think," she said slowly. Then she turned and knocked.

"Who's that?" Vader asked.

"Liliah, sir. Uh...apprentice Assika."

"Come in, Liliah."

Liliah breathed deeply and went in. Vader sat in his armchair with his black helmet between his knees. He polished it with a clout nervously.

He raised his head. "Yes? Some problems, apprentice?"

"No, master. At least not with our mission." Liliah replied and nervously shuffled.

"So what?"

"Master… it's about EIS. Most of the kids were a bit... bewildered cause of our last lesson. Even I saw it a bit confusing."

Vader smiled and put the helmet on a rack. "That was meaningful, apprentice. Confusion helps unification."

"Uh... Not looks like, master. Spitfire – I mean – Eliash and Galen started a regular war. Between the Passes and the Renegades. Not much unifying us, I think."

Another smile. "But Passes stick together, do they?"

Liliah shrugged. "Quite. They are always in the groups. Or just in pairs. So no Renegade can attack some single one."

"Renegades attacked someone?"

"No, master. But... Cal tried to steal the case from Finna. She caught him and that was all, but we think that Renegades are able to do anything."

"This is the Sith way, Liliah. No looking back if you harmed someone."

Liliah pressed her lips. "Sith way. Of course. So you are not going to do something with it?"

"You have to be independent. No, I am not. Deal with it by yourself. Arido is with the Passes, well?"

"Amedda? Yes, she is."

"Well, so Renegades don't have the superiority of the strong force-sensitives."

"How can Amedda help us? It looks she is a pacifist. Don't want to meddle in that stuff."

"She is a funk?"

"No, I don't think that she is a funk, but she is just cautious. She thinks that this is not her problem. She is the only one that risk being alone."

"You have to force her to mix in the things."

"That's not as easy as it seems, master."

"You are a clever girl, Assika. And you have some clever ones at your hand of course. You can make it."

"Maybe, master. Are you really not going to tamper with the situation?" Liliah asked with trust.

"No." He answered and threw a short sight outside. They took off. Then he looked at Liliah, whose shoulders fell. "Take heart, pada... apprentice. I am not going to keep you on the lead all the time. You are more than able to deal with it, even if you have to do it alone."

Liliah smiled weakly. "Thanks, master. It's funny. I feel much safer here, on the mission, than in the EIS campus."

"You feel a traitor in your lines?"

"The Renegades are better than us. They have much more powerful ones in their crew. Tiri, Galen, Cal. Even Bidi joined them. She stand in with Tiri, they are a big friends. And she admires Galen."

"They are four, if I count well, and you are six."

"Five. Without our goody pacifist Amedda."

"So you have just one man in addition?"

"Yes."

"Still, it is an advantage. Strike at them once and perhaps they will give over."

"Galen?" Liliah tittered unhappily. "Never. He is the never-give-up one. Cal? Maybe. But Tiri and Bidi will never give up when Galen won't."

"This is unity. It's hard to break them when they are unified. Unify too and you will be stronger than them. Try it, you will see the result."

"Thanks for your advices, master." She smiled. "This is something Renegades don't have. Your help."

"More useful than it looks, right?" Vader repeated her smile.

"I prefer calling it simply useful." She replied.

"You can go, Assika."

"Of course, master."

She bowed.

"For the Empire and our masters honour. And for the unity of the Passes." She said with fingers on her symbol.

Vader nodded.

Liliah turned and left the room. When the doors clapped behind her, she breathed out longly.

Gni looked at her. "So? What he told you?"

Liliah grimaced. "I'd rather you didn't ask."

{{{}}}

Storm Squad, two apprentices and Vader stood squeezed in the corridor in front of the door.

"Feel them, Assika? Ergen?" Vader asked stilly.

"Yes, master." They whispered.

"Five Jedi. Just behind this door. They feel us, too. Or they feel only you."

"What shall we do, sir?" trooper asked.

"Kick out the door. Or swipe them with a detonator. What you prefer." Vader said and drew out his lightsaber.

"Command." Trooper said. And kicked out the door. They flew out to the room and hit the wall.

Commando rushed out to the room and blocked the entrance, blasters aimed on the Jedi inside.

"Hands up!"

Vader walked between them to the room. He checked the situation quickly. Five Jedi. Three Masters, two padawans or knights. Jocasta Nu, some male Gran Jedi and Kenobi. Kenobi. Vader's mind got stuck. He's here, he got him. He's trapped. Corners of his mouth rose to the smile.

"Oh, oh, oh. Got stuck a bit, well? Don't mind it. You will be dead so early you will not have a time to care for it." He said slowly.

Jedis stood with their lightsabers ignited and prepared for deflecting blaster shots. Obi-Wan stood behind them. He was leading them. Naturally, he was a member of the High Council.

They looked at him without a sound.

Vader laughed. "Okay, as you wish. No one to give up?" he raised a hand and ignited a lightsaber in the other one. "Open fire!"

Troopers raised their blasters and fired away. Jedi started deflecting in a flash. Vader ran to them, followed by his two young apprentices.

Liliah attacked one of the padawans. She battled her with a lightsaber first, but when she hit her hand and Liliah's lightsaber fell on the floor, Liliah drew out a blaster in a flash and finished the battle with a blaster shot in girl's face. Padawan fell on the floor and Liliah tipped out the energy cell in her writhing body. She changed the cell and aimed at the second padawan. She called her lightsaber in her hand. Two shots, lightly reflected. Liliah put the blaster back in the case and rushed to him with her lightsaber.

Gni ran to the Gran and Master Nu and diverted their attention with a smoke detonator thrown on the other side of the room. Then he attacked the Gran with his saber. Gran was trained and skilled, in contrast to inexperienced but zealous Gni. Gran adroitly flipped over and hit Gni flatways to the chest. Gni fell down on his back, but he was alright. Gran looked at him in disbelief.

Gni grimaced and tapped on his breastplate. "Cortosis. Love that thing," He tossed, drew out his blaster and opened fire on his hand. He stopped when Jedi dropped his lightsaber. Then he rose a bit and fired out two more shots on Gran's chest. Shots fired from the close range retreated him on the ground. Gni jumped up, made four quick steps to lying Jedi and crossed his chest with his blade. Then he raised his head, looking for some more enemies to fight with. Jocasta Nu lied on the floor; she bought it, and not just once. She fought the pain and died hard. Gni ran to her, stabbed her and ended her suffering. When he raised his head, he saw Liliah duelling with the Nautolan padawan. He was better than she was and didn't allow her to grasp her blaster. Gni dipped into the pouch on his belt and drew out a flare detonator.

"Lil! Shut your eyes!" he shouted at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Shut your eyes! Now!"

Liliah caught it on, closed her eyes and crouched. Surprised Nautolan stopped moving for a while. Gni uttered the situation, activated the detonator, threw it to the Jedi, faced about and protected his eyes.

Exploded detonator hit poor Nautolan straight into eyes with blinding glare. He screamed and hid his face in hands. Liliah and Gni raised and Gni walked to him slowly. Nautolan let his hands down.

"I don't see you," he said shakily. "But I hear you. And feel you. Oaves."

Liliah growled, raised her blaster and placed it to his head.

"Wait, Lil. He can be useful." Gni grimaced and whirred with his blade at Nautolan's ear. "Do you?"

Nautolan's mouth shook. "Y-yes. I know where Yoda is. I can tell you. Just leave me alive." He blurted.

Gni grimaced and looked at Liliah, who was smirking happily. Gni took the plastoid handcuffs from her and bound Nautolan's hands. They took him away, while Liliah still held the blaster at his head.

{{{}}}

Vader went straight to Obi-Wan. His troopers and apprentices started a pretty mess all around them. Obi-Wan took the Soresu opening stance. Anakin with a weak smile answered with a Djem So attack stance. Like a lightsaber fight lesson. But this time he will win.

He went off.

Obi-Wan cowered and raised his lightsaber to parry his heavy attack. Vader's lightsaber struck his with a well-known buzz. Obi-Wan pushed him away. His blade stopped for a while a little bit from Vader's neck. Vader knocked his blade off. They almost simultaneously passed a rough skew cut at each other. Lightsabers wedged. None of them wanted to slacken and leave the other one any advantage. Obi-Wan used the while of relative calm to look around the room. He stopped at Liliah, who tried to shoot the poor little padawan to pieces.

"From what time are you sending kids to death?" he asked.

"I am not sending them to death. I am sending them to shed death." Vader replied.

Gni fell on back and almost shot away Gran's hand.

"They are brutal, ruthless and reckless. What have you done to them?"

Vader grinned. "Nothing. They have born with it."

"They are just kids!"

"Kids raised in a rough war. And they have it in them. Liliah wants to be best in everything. No matter in what. And Gni has a great self-preservation."

"This is no self-preservation! This is a simple brutality!"

"Have you seen what that Jedi did to him? He almost cut him in halves! No matter he is just a kid!"

"He defended himself."

"Ergen did that, too."

Obi-Wan didn't say anything.

Vader was silent and calculated the situation quickly. Then he opened a communication with the clone captain.

"IC-1309, Niner here, sir." Clone reported.

"Niner, start the fire on Kenobi on three."

"Yes, sir."

Vader looked at Obi-Wan.

"Last time I said that our next encounter will be the last." He said to him.

"Yes."

"One." he said to Niner. Battle around them ended slowly.

"I hope it will be." Obi-Wan added disgustedly.

"Why?"

"You are a filthy butcher, Vader."

"Two."

Glare. Strong glare. Vader was turned from it, but it hit Obi-Wan's eyes. He slackened and dropped his saber. His hands covered his eyes.

Vader raised Obi-Wan's lightsaber and kicked Obi-Wan in the stomach.

"Kneel."

Obi-Wan fell on his knees unwillingly. Vader put the both blades at his neck.

Obi-Wan laughed unhappily and lowered his hands. "Once again?"

"Once again. To the details." Vader said and turned off the blades and snapped his fingers.

Clones came up to him. They were just three; two went with Liliah and Gni.

"Bind him." He ordered.

One clone drew out plastoid handcuffs and bound Obi-Wan's wrists. Then he lifted him on his feet.

"Take him to the ship with the other captive. Then send me two troopers with Assika and Ergen."

{{{}}}

Vader stood in the door with kids at his side.

"Get them over the survivors list." He ordered to the troopers.

One of them drew out a scanner connected with a datapad.

"You check if they are certainly dead. Don't want any eye-popper."

The second one nodded.

Vader and kids followed the one with a scanner to the dead padawan. It was young Togruta. Her formerly nice big blue eyes were staring and dead. Clone scanned her.

"Jedi padawan Ahsoka Tano. Padawan of Ki-Adi-Mundi." He reported.

"Well, check her as a goner." He bent his head to side and eyed the stiff, but still adorable face. "I was apprentice of Ki-Adi-Mundi briefly. Poor little one. She had to be happy he's finally dead."

Liliah tittered stilly. Gni poked into her.

Clone went on to the Gran. "Jedi Master Nokti Enuk. The Nautolan, To'Kar, is his padawan. He was a Jedi Sentinel, exactly Watchman."

Second clone made a quick examination. "Dead."

"Remove his name from the list."

"Command." Clone mumbled and touched the datapad controls.

They proceeded to Jocasta Nu.

"Needn't scan her. This is Jocasta Nu, the Jedi Archive Keeper. Remove her." Vader said.

"She's kaput... I mean dead." Second clone reported.

"And removed from the list." First added.

"You can remove Kenobi and To'Kar, too."

"In a minute, sir." Clone said.

"Who's remaining?" Vader asked

"High General Yoda."

"Grand Master Yoda." He corrected him.

"Master, To'Kar told us he knows where Yoda is." Gni said.

"I am sure that if he knows that, Kenobi does too." Vader put him off.

"But To'Kar is definitely easier to break." Liliah argued.

Vader sighed with a smile. "Yes. Correct. To'Kar is totally a better source of information if he has right information."

"And maybe we can force him to join us." Liliah added.

"Why?"

"I think you will be willing to follow your own advices, master." She smiled.

"You fox," Vader smiled.

Liliah simpered. "So?"

"You can try it. You and Gni will lead the questioning."

{{{}}}

**PLACE:**_** Some little glory-hole on the **_**Betrayal**_**, Vader's main ship.**_

To'Kar was chained to chair. Liliah circled around him like a black vulture.

Liliah stopped in front of him and held his chin.

"My honey, I will tell it to you for the last time. If you change your mind and decide that you will not tell us where Yoda is hiding, we will have to harm you." She said stilly, but stridently. "Trust me, sweets; I will not be happy if you force me to do it."

It was sure that he would wink now if he had lids. But he didn't say even a word.

Liliah dropped his chin and sighed. "Okay, precious, what of your parts do you like mostly? I will try to leave it to you as long as I can. I will be kind."

To'Kar stared at her. His sight reverted an hour ago.

Liliah snarled. "Oh my sith, your look is so irritant." She drew out a virboknife. "I think I will start with your eyes."

"No," he said weakly.

"What?" she asked and touched the keen-edged blade of the knife.

"No, not my sight again. It was terrible to be blind." He said.

Liliah smiled. He showed her his weakness, his fear. She loved Jedi. She swept the blade with her finger. She cut herself, but didn't breathe a word. "Why shouldn't I? You are annoying me, buddy. You are outfacing me. And I don't like it, precious."

Nautolan's mouth started to shake.

"Still have nothing to tell me?" she asked. Nautolan shook his head. She sighed and went to him. She passed him, but turned right behind him. Her head appeared above his left shoulder. "Hello, precious." she smiled. Her hand with knife appeared above his right shoulder. She patted his head-tress. "You look handsome from near." She whispered in his ear. "And you have such lovely eyes..." her hand moved and the blade appeared few centimetres from his eye.

He started to shudder.

"Too bad you most probably lose them." She sobbed affectedly.

Blade advanced towards To'Kar's face.

"You are not going to cry, do you?" she asked.

"No," he said weakly.

He shook like a jelly.

"You are really a hero." She sneered at him.

Blade drew near.

"Stop it." He said.

"What, precious? I am having fun."

"Stop it. I will tell you what I know."

"This is how I like you, precious." She smiled and hid the knife in her pocket. "Gni! Your turn, cabbage head!" she called.

Door opened. Liliah disappeared in them and Gni slipped in.

Liliah made a few steps through the corridor and struck in the door on her right. Vader watched the events in the room on a holoprojector. He looked up at her.

"Assika, I just named you a Commander." He said.

"Why?" she asked.

"Clones were uncertain about your rank so I gave you a rank that belonged to Jedi Padawans in the Clone Wars. Gni is a commander, too. But you both merit it. You were great."

"Thanks, master." Liliah blushed.

"And_ that_ was great, too. We will not speak about the fact that I said questioning and not menace. It was great. You pushed on him and he slackened. Good work."

"Thank you."

"By the way, where did you learnt to call people precious? You said it like a treat in addition. It was mincing. Great for a menace."

"That was an improvisation. He looked so flurried when I called him like that."

"I would be, too. It was petrifying. Have you ever heard about Asajj Ventress?"

"Yes, sir. Why?"

Vader smiled and looked at the projector again. "Just so."

{{{}}}

"Okay, buddy. Speak." Gni bid the Nautolan.

"What do you want to know?" To'Kar asked.

"Everything. Tell us everything they trusted you with."

"They said that we are the last surviving group of Jedi. At least only one bigger. And they said that master Yoda and Marek are on their own hook."

"You were hiding on Tatooine all the time?"

To'Kar shook his head. "No. Master Nu saved me and Ahsoka during the raid on the Jedi Temple. I insisted that we have to save master Enuk, too. So we took him with us. Master Nu had some relatives on Phaeda, so she took us here."

"Did she have some holocrons with her?"

"Yes, full bag. But they stayed on Phaeda."

"Why you left the planet?"

"Some stupid imperial... uh... some spy blew the whistle and imperials came to arrest us. But master Marek learnt about it and saved us. He told us about a good hiding place on Tatooine and gave us his boat."

"Where has he gone then?"

"Don't have any idea. He just left us and disappeared."

"When Kenobi joined you?"

"A few days after Marek left. He was badly hurt. Master Nu and Tano treated him. He told us that he met Marek and brings news about the other survivors."

"What news?"

"He told us that most of us are dead, except our group, Marek, Yoda and maybe some more individual fortunates. He told us that his former padawan, Skywalker, was killed by some Lord Vader and that he almost killed Master Kenobi, too. He was feared that Vader will find us because of him."

Gni grimaced. "Maybe he was right."

To'Kar gazed at him. Gni realized that Lil was right. His look was really troubling.

"Marek knew where Yoda went?"

"Yes, he had to meet with him and take us out of Tatooine so we can gather on some safe place far from Coruscant."

"Tatooine wasn't far enough?"

"Tatooine is a well-known planet because of Jabba Hutt's rule here."

Gni shrugged. "That's right. So, where Yoda is?"

"Kenobi said he and Marek had a rendezvous on Kashyyyk." To'Kar answered.

"Kashyyyk? Hmm... are you sure?"

"Yes, sir."

"Commander Ergen. Remember it."

"Yes, commander."

"Nothing else to tell me?"

"No, commander."

"What ship Marek has?"

"Z-95 Headhunter."

"Name?"

"_Steadfast_."

"Number?"

"Don't remember."

"At least approximately?"

"I think it had two sevens in it."

Gni grinned and patted Nautolan's head. It was funnier that he was much younger.

"Good boy. I will consider if I will send you my Arkanian friend again."

"Please, no. I told you everything."

Gni smiled. "She is awesome, isn't she?"

"Very."

"You have to get used to it."

{{{}}}

Gni walked into the room.

"Good work, Ergen. We know everything we needed to know." Vader commended him.

"Thanks, master." He said. Then he threw a look on Liliah, who stood apart with hands crossed on her breastplate and eyes fixed on Vader. "Oh, Lil, you really terrified him. He was a doughface. Don't ever want to get to your claws, Lil. You completely broke him."

"He will be okay. I just dismayed him a bit. A while of peace and he will be O.K." she said.

"I am not so sure, Assika. He is young and his master just died." A shine appeared in Vader's eyes. Liliah espied it and smiled. "We can use it. Go and make his blood run a bit more."

Liliah bent her head on side. "Why?"

"Fear is drawing Jedi to the dark side." He answered.

"And love does it, too." She noted.

Vader smiled. "I prefer the fear. And I am sure you do, too."

"Indeed, master." She said and went away.

"Ergen?" Vader sounded and watched the projector attentively.

"Yes, master?"

"Contact Coruscant. I want to start a blockade of Kashyyyk."

"As you wish, my lord."

{{{}}}

"Hello, precious." Liliah smiled.

"H-hi." To'Kar answered and tried to take heart.

"Do you know why I'm here?" she asked.

"N-no." He couldn't control it. He couldn't stop stammering.

"My cabbage-headed friend Ergen has a suspicion that you lied to him." Liliah lied.

"About what?"

"He doesn't know. But I will find out, trust it, precious."

"I do."

Liliah laughed unhappily. "And do you know how?"

"I will let you surprise me."

It looked like he passed some limits of total fright and stepped into cold calmness.

"So no threatening by blindness." She said half to herself. She drew out a vibroknife and stepped to him. "I am sure I will find out something else."

Knife's blade touched his neck.

"Death? No, death is no threat for a Jedi."

Knife arose and swept his lips.

"Your tongue? No, that will not help me."

Blade passed his eyes.

"I tried this last time."

She pulled the knife away and started throwing with it. Nautolan watched her a bit nervously.

"What if we will do down?" she asked. "Hands, legs... what do you think?"

"I will rely that you are not able to harm me."

Her hand burst forward and the blade gashed his cheek. To'Kar bit his lips.

"Never depend on your enemy's mercy, precious." She hissed.

"I will stick to your advices, sweets." He replied.

Liliah smiled perilously. "That would be great."

"It's known we Nautolans feel the each other's feelings. I don't feel any emotions from you, sweets."

She lent to him. "Really? You are lying as a print, precious. You feel my amusement. Every time it hurts."

He swallowed. He really felt it. She smiled and straightened up.

"Jedi are not allowed to mate with people, are they?" she asked.

"No." He laughed nervously. "You are not going to marry me, are you?"

She smiled. "No. No, I just wanted to know if it will matter much if I..." she left the sentence unfinished.

"What?" To'Kar hasn't caught up her insinuation.

Liliah grimaced. "I want to deprive you of having kids, stupid."

To'Kar viewed her knife for a while. "You are not going to castrate me here, aren't you?"

She watched the tip of the knife. "I am thinking about it."

"Are you allowed to do it?"

"Don't know. Want to test it?"

"No, thanks."

"But... I think that I am allowed to do this." She said. She made few quick steps forward and gripped one of his head-tresses. Knife twinkled and the point of the head-tress remained in her hand, while the rest of it slipped from her hand.

"Ahh! You…" he bit off the end of the sentence.

"What?" she asked.

"You bitch…" he breathed out.

She gripped the bleeding head-tress.

"Do you want me to cut it more closely to your head?" she asked.

"No…" he said weakly.

"Speak."

He kept silence.

"Speak and I will treat you."

"That's no good. You will kill me after that so that matters not."

"Tell me everything and we will leave you alive. We will give you additional training and I will not have an ascendency over you anymore."

To'Kar smiled. "That would be the best reward."

She smiled too and tapped on his head. "Don't be cheeky, precious. You are still tied."

"Not for a long time."

"So are you going to tell me?" she asked.

"No." He said and started a mess.

In a short while, he pushed Liliah back with the force, so she fell down, raised her knife by telekinesis and cut his tying asunder. This cost him lots of effort. He took the knife, spoilt her of her lightsaber and took a run to the door.

"To'Kar, right? Nice to meet you."

To'Kar stood, totally stunned. He expected that it will not work, but...

Vader smiled. "Are you okay, kid? You look startled."

"Hmm." He muttered. "I-I...I am okay, sir, but the girl, she... she fell down. I was worried she hurt herself."

"I believe she is okay."

{{{}}}

Liliah retained a cooling sack at her head. Her white hair was dirty with blood.

"You really didn't have to do this, little Jedi. If you agreed to Liliah's offer, you could receive one without necessity of harming someone." Vader said to To'Kar and handed the lightsaber back to Liliah.

"You have to admit that it was clever, master. I didn't have any suspicion." Liliah said.

"Is it applause to To'Kar's abilities, or a criticism of your attention?" he asked.

Liliah bent her head and didn't answer.

Vader grinned and looked on To'Kar. "My little Jedi, I have a good mind to punish you for that. You could harm her badly. That could disable her and that would be a pity. She is good."

Liliah smiled; Darth Vader rates her as good. This is more than better.

"But you can still help yourself," Vader continued, "Speak and we will connive at it."

"And what then?"

"We will release you. Or-if you want to have some purposeful future-we can accept you to the EIS –Elite Imperial School."

"What's that?"

"A front for Sith training."

"Sith? Never. I'd rather die."

"I can satisfy that."

To'Kar smiled. "You don't need to. I already made up with my pointless future."

"Are you sure? The dark side is powerful. It can give you anything you want. It allows you do to do anything you want."

To'Kar rubbed the bandaged head-tress. He took a look at Liliah. "Anything?"

Vader smiled. The cage has fallen. "Anything."

"I lied about the count of us, survivors."

"Really?" He thought even eight survivors to be impossible.

"Really. Master Marek helped more groups to escape. At least two more."

"Do you know where he is hiding them?"

"No. But he was heading to the Core."

"Well. Anything else?"

"Um... no, sir."

"Master."

Nautolan grappled with the words for a while.

"No, master." He said with difficulty.

Vader smiled. "Good boy." He said. Then he looked back to Liliah. "Assika, call Coruscant. We need some reinforcement here."

"At once, master." She said and disappeared in the door.

"So Assika, right? Commander Ergen spoke about her as "his Arkanian friend" and she herself didn't bother about introducing herself." To'Kar said when she was gone.

"Her name is Liliah Assika. Commander Liliah Assika. I am sure you will remember it."

"I will."

{{{}}}

**Author****'s Note:**

**Hello again. It made me some difficulties, but I finally finished another chapter. Originally it had to be longer, but then I decided to part it again. So...to the dead Ahsoka...I don't know the events what were in The Clone Wars, so I made up my mind and didn't count them in. I am sorry, but otherwise I would make a sizable mess in it. I realized that some people can be sorry for it, so this is my feeble sorry. No one can say I forgot to put Ahsoka in. All for now.**

**Reviews, please.**

**Peace, love and Sith,**

**Darth Moya ˆˆ**


	14. Chapter 12: Sithin' hell

Obi-Wan turned to Asajj. "You haven't met Vader when you took the ship, have you?"

Asajj, who already realized, shook her head. "No."

Obi-Wan turned back at the Nightsisters carrying boxes from the_ Betrayal_ to their smaller ship, the _Wrath of Dathomir_. "This is not going to end well."

Ventress nodded. "We have to get out of here. Now."

Whirl was coming nearer and nearer quickly.

"We don't have much time." Obi-Wan said.

"Hey, you!" Ventress shouted at working Nightsisters, dressed in stormtrooper armor. "Drop it all and get aboard the _Wrath_! Now!"

Nightsisters boarded the ship, along with Obi-Wan and Asajj. Asajj decided to leave one sister there, disguised as troopers, to report her if they have any suspicion that they can be behind this rescue mission.

Obi-Wan sat next to Asajj.

"Have you considered, that there is a chance that I will refuse to help you?" he asked her.

Asajj smiled. "Of course I did, Obi-Wan. Do you think that I am that much unwise?"

"I can try to escape."

"The main point is in that word – try. You can try, but we will not allow you to succeed."

"I will try it as long as it will be necessary." He warned her.

"Don't worry, Obi-Wan. We will kill you after the second try."

Obi-Wan quickly changed the theme. "How do you think I can help you?"

"I need experienced and qualified people to lead my troops."

"And you see me as qualified? This is an honour."

"You won few good fights during the Clone Wars. You were a good general."

Obi-Wan looked at her. "Really? Few?"

Asajj smiled. "Few. Few very good. The others were mostly in the almost-failed, won-just-with-luck style."

"Better than Anakin's usual I-almost-killed-everyone-else."

"This is why I wanted you, and not him to join me."

''''

Lilliah held Gni with obvious dislike.

"I say it again: Let me drive." She said.

"No. You will drive as a maniac. Or, worse, like master Vader."

"You have a really big lack of respect, Gni."

"Better than you."

Lil didn't have an answer for that, so she looked forward to the place where the_ Betrayal _landed.

"Do you see that ship?" she asked.

"This one? Yes, this must be the ship with reinforcements."

"Why is it pulling off?"

"Don't have any idea, but I don't see anything wrond on that."

Lilliah shook her head. "I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about this. Stomp on it, Gni. I think that something happened."

''''

Anakin stopped his speeder in front of the_ Betrayal_.

Something was wrong. He didn't know what, but something was wrong. There was no ship, though Niner reported that they already arrived. The speeder Gni and Lilliah used to get there was standing by, no one tucked it away.

He switched off the engines and jumped out of it. He drew out his lightsaber slowly and got onboard the ship. Two dead stormtroopers lied there.

"Is anyone there?"

He heard voices from the left. He went this way, and striked into the medical infirmary.

Med droid didn't even notice him, though the trooper sitting here did.

He turned off his lightsaber. "What happened here?"

"They attacked us, sir! They came there in the ship from Coruscant and boarded the ship disguised as troopers. They captured the ship and stole our equipment. They locked us all into some crib and raided the ship." Trooper answered.

"Nothing more? Just equipment?"

"I don't know, sir. I was injured, so when commanders released us, I was immediately sent to the sick room."

"Where are the others?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Kriff," Anakin cursed and left the room.

He still heard the voices from the corridor. He went after the sound. He got to the main room.

"Oh no," Lilliah has just said.

"We're in a damned big trouble." Gni added.

They two, along with two troopers, stood around a projector and watched something.

"What trouble?" Vader asked.

"Sir, you are not gonna like this..." commander said.

"We were searching through the records from the security cameras," Lilliah said, "And found this."

She turned it on.

He saw nothing special. Obi-Wan, sitting and meditating in his cell.

"And what?"

"Wait, master."

"_Oh, Anakin, you came to visit me again?"_ the Obi-Wan from the record asked.

A scratchy female voice sounded from nowhere._ "No."_

Obi-Wan opened his eyes quickly. His face slowly turned to smile. "Nice to meet you again." He said.

Than just a hand, lightsaber and then nothing.

"What was that?" Vader asked.

"This was the only record of the woman – or we think that it is a woman – that rescued Obi-Wan Kenobi." Lilliah explained.

"Rescued?"

"Yes."

"He left with them?"

"Yes."

"Jedis, I suppose?"

"We don't know, sir. But... they were too many. These couldn't be Jedi."

"But who, then?"

"We can just guess, sir. They were jsut leaving when we got to the ship. And we can't follow them with Betrayal. They stole even the necessary equipment. We can't leave the planet without it."

"We had two fighters onboard. Are these stolen, too?"

Commander shook his head. "The first figter is destroyed, but the second one is able to fly." He responded.

"How badly is it damaged?"

"Not much. It's obvious they tried to destroy it, too, but something distracted them. They left in haste, apparently."

"That had to be us." Gni said.

"Yes, they had to see us and think it was you, master." Lill added.

"This is not important now. I'm taking the figter. I'll see if I can catch up with them. Lilliah and private 7720 – make list of stolen equipment. Commander, Gni – contact Coruscant and ask them – no, _order_ them – to send us some ships." Vader commanded.

"Yes, sir."

"Try not to lose any more equipment. And please, don't let anyone capture you or the ship." Vader added, while he picked up his helmet. "And wake up To'Kar. He can help you with that. After all, he has his lightsaber."

"We have ours, too." Gni pointed.

"But _he _can use it." Vader snapped him up. Then he looked around. "We took Artoo with us, did we?"

"Yes, sir, astromech droid R2-D2 was on the boarding list." Commander nodded.

"Have anyone seen him since that assault?" Vader asked?

"Um... no, sir." Commander answered.

"Oh, hell, they took Artoo!" Vader realized. He rushed out of the room. "This is starting to be personal!"

''''

"I heard what happened," Rhea said.

"Everyone heard about it." Padmé answered.

"It had to be really horrible."

"Yes, it was, but why are you calling me?"

Rhea quickly came to the point. "Senate doesn't like the way your husband is performing."

"How do you mean it?"

"He does lots of things undercover, in most cases don't even tell the Senate his purposes; he is doing, but not thinking. He doesn't see the political meaning of everything he's doing."

"Why don't you tell this to _him_?"

"From two simple reasons: for first, if I tell him, he will not listen. And for second, it's impossible to contact him."

"And you want _me_ to tell him?"

"Maybe. Or just make him thinking before doing."

"This will be hard."

"I am sure you can make it."

_Obi-Wan tried to do this for thirteen years. _"I'll try. But tell it to him, too. I'll try it, but you can try it, too."

"If you think so, my lady."

"And there is one more thing. It's important, or I think it's important..."

"Tell me."

"The group of Senators, who were in the Delegation of 2000..."

"What's up with them?"

"They just had a meeting. I think that they want raise a protest against lord Vader's appointment as Emperor Palpatine's successor."

"Do they have any competent reason for this protest?"

"The Imperial Protocol said that in the time of Rpublic's crisis, they will raise the Supreme Chancellor to the function of Galactic Emperor. They see ascension of your husband, who _was _Emperor's representative, but _wasn't _directly appointed as his possible successor, as illegal and undemocratic step. They want to suspend him from his office and begin new elections."

"Something like the Vote of No Confidence we made about Chancellor Valorum?"

"Exactly. But they don't want to vote about degradation of Lord Vader. They want to prove, that he is not on the throne legally, and make his nomination invalid."

"This will disrate me, too, won't it?"

"Yes, you will lose your position, too, my lady. And when you became an Empress, you lose your seat in the Senate as Nubian Senator, too, so you will be totally destitute of any political power."

This was pretty unpleasant situation. "Can we somehow make them change their mind and let the Senate vote about suspending him?"

"If you have any friends among them, you can try to push on them."

"Still, we don't have many supporters in the Senate."

"We have to gain time, then we can find some."

"You yourself said that Senate don't like my husband."

"He has couple of supporters, and still, who said that we must play totally cleanly?"

"I have to discuss this with Anakin." _Oopsie..._

"Of course, my lady. I will inform him immediately after it will be possible to contact him."

"Thanks that you informed me, Senator Rhea."

"I owe it to your husband my lady. He gave me a good position in his rule and I don't want to lose it."

"Sometime he knows what the best he can do is."

''''

"_My lady, Vader took fighter and wants to pursue you."_

Asajj smacked. "Oh, well, thanks that you informed me, Mori."

"_Hey, trooper, are you going or not?" _some voice sounded from thecommlink.

"_Yes, sure, commander. Right away."_ Mori answered. Then she cut off the call.

"He's going to try to catch us? With _one fighter_?" Obi-Wan said in disbelief.

"You said he's insane." Asajj shrugged.

"I didn't know that it's that bad."

"Sisters, slow us down. We're going to wait for him." She commanded.

"And what then?" Obi-Wan asked.

"We're going to shoot his boat to pieces." Asajj smiled.

"This is not wise, Ventress."

"Why?"

"You said that he's easy to beat. Do you really wantto kill him now? When you will kill him now, some successor will come and I promise you, that he won't be as doltish as Vader is."

"Okay, so I'll simply destroy his ship and leave him hung in the space. Is this better?"

"Far better. Just a warning how dangerous can you be. Simple and elegant."

"Still, I think that killing him would be much funnier."

''''

Anakin's starfigher shot off through Tatooine's atmosphere. He saw the ship he was chasing. It was flying towards one of Tatooine's moons.

"They have to have their hyperdrive damaged." He muttered.

Communicator of the ship blinked.

"Oh, I think I got it... Hiya, master!"

Anakin smiled. "Lilliah?"

"Yes, it's me, sir. We managed to repair the communication device."

"So fast?"

"Oh, that was easy. They just pulled the cables up from the plugs."

"Great."

"Yes, but it seems that it has just a local reach."

"No matter. Send an SOS message on the main imperial transfer channel."

"Right away, master."

"Fine."

"Keep yourself in one piece, sir."

Anakin pushed the control yoke forward. "I'll do my best."

'''

Ventress stood in the secondary observation bulge of the Wrath with Obi-Wan at her side, and watched the slim imperial fighter as it slowly followed them.

"He still didn't try to contact us." She remarked.

"He didn't try anything," Obi-Wan said.

"We are getting to the gravity well of the moon, Leader." Ventress' comm sounded.

"Slow us down." She commanded.

"What do you want to do?"Obi-Wan asked.

Ventress turned quickly. "Move us to the firing position, quickly!" she shouted and started to tap out some password.

"Ventress?"

"Kotaj." She repaired him.

"What do you plan to do?" he asked.

"Show you something." She finally entered the final sequence of numbers. "Follow me to the POB."

He rushed beside her, as she walked to the primary observation bulge. "What it is?"

She smiled. "Patience, Obi-Wan. I think it may interest you."

"Fine."

They got to the POB. Ventress tumbled down the stairs, followed by Obi-Wan.

"Prepare the ion cannons! They are already activated!" she shouted.

"Ion cannons?"

Ventress had a proud expression on her face. "I got this idea from the separatists. And improved it."

"Ion cannons prepared!" One sister reported.

"The imperial ship tries to make a contact with us!" other said.

Ventress turned to Obi-Wan. "Do we want to talk to him?"

Obi-Wan was still touched by Anakin letting him to die in the prison. "Not at all."

She looked pleased by his decision. "Aim the imperial scum and fire!"

"Lady, we have an enforced message here."

Boat's loudspeakers resounded with Anakin's voice.

IMPERIAL FIGHTER TO THE BRIDGE – IDENTIFY YOURSELF.

"I think that I won't." Ventress replied.

I REPEAT – IDENTIFY YOURSELF, SHIP, OR OTHERWISE YOU WILL BE ELIMINATED.

"If I were you, I won't be so sure about that."

I LEAVE YOU FIVE SECONDS TO RESPOND.

"Thank you."

ONE...

"How are you doing?"

"Targeting him, sir!"

TWO...

"Target is locked, Mother Kotaj."

THREE...

"Wait, let him finish this counting."

FOUR...

"We are able to fire at word."

FIVE...

"Bye, bye, imperial.

YOU REFUSED TO IDENTIFY YOURSELF? OKAY. MY DUTY NOW IS TO ELIMINATE YOU.

"Now, my lady?" Sister asked

"No, wait..." Ventress replied. She looked at Obi-Wan, whose face was tight with excitement.

Fighter flashed out toward them.

"Now!" He called.

"Fire form the both cannons!" Ventress ordered.

Massive roar and noisy vhumm sound and two huge ion nets rushed towards little fighter. As they were further and further, they were so big that they united and made one big pulse. It totally absorbed the fighter.

"Scan him. Was it successful?"

The nearest sister nodded. "Yes, my lady. He's out of energy. He's not going anywhere."

Ventress smiled. "Fire two shots at both wings. I want to be sure."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. A still thumm of the primary cannons told him that Wrath fired. He opened his eyes again and watched the cannons pluck off the fighter's wings.

Lilliah watched the control device of the communication unit.

"I think that..." she touched few buttons randomly. "I don't understand it."

"Do you want me to have a look?" Trooper asked.

"Yes. Do it yourself, please." She nodded quickly.

Trooper moved to the controls. His fingers started to push buttons quickly in unknown sequence. The comm unit hummed and two green lights lit up on it.

"Tell me when, and you can start recording the message, commander."

Lilliah looked at him attentively. "How do you start the recording?"

Trooper pointed at one button. "With this one. And you stop it with pushing it again. And with this you'll send it to air. The frequency is already set." His voice sounded scratchy and artificially.

Lilliah touched the lightsaber at her belt. "Is something wrong with communication in your helmet, private?"

"Maybe a bit, sir."

She extended her hand. "Take it off and give it to me. I'll have a look."

Trooper made a step back. "Not necessary, sir. The main thing is to send the S.O.S. message now."

Her eyes narrowed. "Just take the helmet off, not hesitate, I am not going to cut off your head."

"Okay, okay, commander. I was just trying not to restrain us."

Lilliah held hand on her saber all the time trooper was getting off his helmet, so when the disguised nightsister threw the helmet away and drew out a blaster, she was prepared. She ignited it and move it to the side reflexively to beat off the blaster bolt. It hit the ceiling. She turned, so she stood sideways to the sister and swung her blade. It cut off her hand. Nightsister shouted. Lilliah flipped over the blade and made one final horizontal cut.

Nightsister's head flown away to the side. The rest of her body stood for one creepy while, and then fell to Lilliah's feet.

She poked the body with her toe and made a loud smack. "I don't like traitors." She said. Then Lilliah stepped over the body impassively and went to the communication unit. She raised her comlink to her mouth. "Gni, come in," she said.

The commlink swapped alive. "Commander Ergen on the line. How are you doing there, Lill?" Gni's voice sounded from it.

She sighed. "Everything is tiptop. But... the trooper you let with me somehow..."

"What's up with him?"

"He's dead. It somehow came out that he was – she was a spy. I am sure that she made a contact with our enemies."

"Do you think that something happened to master Vader?"

"I... I have really bad feeling about it. I think that yes. Yes, something had or is going to happen to him."

"So call him and warn him."

"I don't know how. The comm unit looks pretty complicated. I know just how to send the SOS message."

"Fine. I'll send the Commander to ya, well? Send the message in the meantime."

"Yer, I'll try. Just... be careful, Gni. I don't want to lead it there by myself."

"Don't worry. I am all eyes."

"Good for you."

She turned the comlink off and then pushed the button the traitoress showed to her.

"Okay. There is Cadet Commander Lilliah Assika, from the imperial ship Betrayal, landing on planet Tatooine. We were ambushed by another ship – we thought it was a ship with reinforcements - and the attackers stole some ouf our important machinery and destroyed our hyperdrives. We need some help immediately. We have injured troops here. Assika out."

''''

Padmé was worried. She didn't know why, but she was terribly worried. Maybe because Rhea said that it's impossible to contact Anakin, maybe because her position was in danger. There were so many reasons she just couldn't find out what is the main of them.

The communication set in her bedroom breeped.

She walked to it slowly and tried to repel the worry from her face.

Padmé tapped the On button. A holo of Grand Admiral Thrawn appeared. He looked peevish, as always.

She greeted him with a charming smile. "Grand Admiral Thrawn, it's a pleasure to speak with you."

Thrawn nodded politely. "My lady, I have some information that you may want to know." He said.

She raised her brows. "Yes, Grand Admiral?"

"One of my sentries in the Outer Rim intercepted a SOS message from your husband's main ship, the Betrayal."

"What was in it?"

"That they were ambushed by a crew of some ship what they supposed that is a ship with reinforcements form Coruscant. They raided the ship and they are not able to leave the planet."

"What about the real ship with reinforcements?"

"We lost all contact with it."

"So it's destroyed?"

"Yes, most likely."

"What about my husband? Is he alright?"

"I don't know, my lady, the sentry that received the message is trying to communicate with them right now. But they said that some of their troops are injured."

"Okay. Report me continuously about this matter."

"Of course, my lady."

"And… Admiral Thrawn?"

"Yes, my lady?"

"I am so glad you have contacted me."

"No problem, my lady."

''''

He was so stupid.

Anakin sat in his ship. All monitors were dead. All systems were dead.

He was so stupid.

He watched as the primary cannons of the enemy ship warmed up, and as they fired on him.

He was so, so stupid.

Some people say that when you are staying face to face with unavoidable death, you will get the atonement. That you will be completely conciliated with yourself. That you will be calm, almost happy.

All Anakin felt was endless anger.

They fooled him, ridiculed him, and now they are going to kill him! This is how the Sith are dying? Because of their own idiocy? Stupid Force! Stupid Sith! Accursed dark side! Who needs power when he's dead?

The first round of shots, fired while before the second, hit the fighter's right wing. They totally knocked the wing off. Pieces of the wrecked wing hit the fighter's side and made a pretty tricky spiny killing zone form it.

Anakin grinned. Good thing he wasn't sitting there.

The second round hit the left one. Shot after shot, the salvo broke off the last wing, too.

Now he wasn't able to fly away even when he would find out how to kick on the power.

The last shot hit the fighter's body and dragged the fighter to the right.

Anakin wasn't chained.

It threw him on the spiny right side at full speed. Thousands of little spiky jags stabbed him into his whole right side of body. He shouted with pain. He drew off slowly and looked at his stabbed waist. The blood started to soak through black material of his suit.

He didn't wear his armor.

He had the stupid pirate disguise. But the helmet maybe saved his life.

Through the veil of twinge in his smaller injuries, he felt a great pain in his leg. He looked down.

"Kriff."

His leg was pierced by quite big, sharp piece of metal plate what fell off from the wall. The lower part of the plate was still fixed there. He surveyed the injury and decided that pulling the plate from his leg wouldn't be as smart as it looked at first. He couldn't move.

"Think," He told himself. "What can you do now?"

He looked over the cockpit. It looked completely dead.

"Nothing much with this," he said and touched the bloody part of the plate that sticked out from his leg. The pain was unsufferable; he's going to fall senseless quickly. He looked at the plate and realized that, if he falls senseless, he is going to cut his leg maybe worse that it already was. He had to do something before it happens. He seized his lightsaber and almost did a new scratch on his arm, but his right hand was prosthetic. He ignited it and as slowly as he was able cut the plate off the wall. He caught the co-pilot chair, trying not to fall. He crippled to his chair at the controls and sat down. Now he can't fall on the spikes, after all.

He took off his helmet and threw it away. It rolled to the wall, where it hit a spike with a faint clink.

When he wasn't forced to stand, it relieved his mind and it started to run quickly.

He looked through the transparisteel view. The ship was gone. So it was a trap; their hyperdrives were okay.

What weapon did they use? He didn't have any idea; he felt that he has already seen something like that, but was too tired to remember.

Who were they? Hell knows. But when he will find out, he will take his revenge.

But this depended on his another problem: he was losing his consciousness, and his blood. The air filters of the ship were dead, so he will run out of oxygen quite quickly. He needed help, but couldn't call it.

He closed his eyes and reached out to the Force. He found minds of all people he knew that can help him, and send his faint pray for help. He touched Padmé, but felt her busy mind as it slipped over his touch. He found the open mind of Arido Amedda; she was meditaing. He slipped in and called for help. He found Tarkin, Rhea, even Luke and Leia's clear minds. After while he found himself searching for Maris. He cannot find her. She was hiding her presence in the Force – or she was dead. Then he found Obi-Wan. He opened his mind when he felt slight touch of Anakin's mind. He drew back.

The Jedi. Anakin still couldn't believe that so much of them were able to survive Order 66 and the raid. An unpleasant glimpse of awakening flew into his mind.

_Maybe they survived. Maybe they deleted themselves form the survivor list. Maybe... there are enough Jedi to start a new Order somewhere. Secretly. Right under Empire's nose. Oh hell... the Empire is fated to fall._

He grinded his lightsaber's hilt in his fist. He knew it. All the time, even when he joined Palpatine, he felt that Empire is fated to fall.

He fell unconscious.

''''

Arido pressed her lips. Then she grinned. He is calling _her_ to help him?

She opened her eyes and got up from the meditating position.

"You tried to kill my father." She hissed.

She rubbed the mark on her neck. He tried to kill her father, and then wanted her to be his pet slavey. And marked her as his property.

She raised her training lightsaber with the Force and ignited it. She felt as his mind slowly disappeared.

"I hoped it will be me."

''''

_He stood in... it was a room, not much big, badly illuminated. There were two places for sitting; he guessed that there were some, because both men in this room looked like they were sitting. It was an older man, with cloak hiding his face from him, and a fair-haired, very young man sitting in front of him. Younger man had a lightsaber on his belt and played with a little spire. He rised it with the Force and then let it fall a bit, then raised it again..._

_Young man looked at the spire attentively. He looked thoughtful._

"_My father fell to the dark side because of my mother?" he asked slowly._

_Older man nodded. „Yes. Because of pure love." He extended the word love and laughed nastily. "But he wasn't strong enough. He let the love slip through his hands and let the dark side replace it by the vision of power. Dark side embraced him and never let him go."_

_Fair-haired man bit his lip. "He was too weak?" he asked._

„_Yes. He didn't have enough strength to see the power and face it." Older man explained._

_The Blonde set his teeth. The spire flew into his other palm. „I have." He said._

_Older man sounded like he's smiling. „Do you think that you are strong enough, Luke?" he asked._

_Luke. That one hurt._

_Luke nodded slowly. „I am. Show me."_

_Show him what? He didn't find out because the dream changed._

_This place was a cave. It looked like cave, but it could possibly be some tunnel or an interior of a ship, too. This time he saw face of a woman. She had deep, dark eyes. She was good looking, but shadows in her face were deeper, darker than usual. She was standing face to face with some man, maybe in his thirties or that. He was holding a lightsaber._

_Woman looked amused. "You are true descendant of Darth Vader, Jacen." She said._

_Jacen? The good thing was he didn't know this name. The bad was that he knew how this part will end._

_Man's eyes narrowed. _"_I know it." He replied._

"_But you never accepted the truth – your destiny." Woman continued._

_The blade lowered a little bit. "What destiny?"_

"_You can be more powerful than you ever hoped to be. You can save the whole galaxy. Again."_

_He thought for a very long moment. "What do I have to do?" he asked._

_She smiled, maybe because she knew that she has him, maybe bacuse she was insane. "I'll show you the way, Jacen."_

"_Why?"_

"_I promised that I will. We two can restore the whole Sith cause, Jacen." She kept finishing every sentence with his name._

"_You want me to give over to the dark side?" Jacen asked._

_Woman sounded seductive. "No give over. I want you to accept the darkness running through your veins, and learn to control it… I want you to accept your legacy. Your destiny."_

"_You said... using the dark side without being corrupted? I... I don't know how."_

"_I'll show you, Jacen. When you'll be prepared."_

_Another while of silence. Man glanced below him, at something – maybe a corpse – at his feet. "I am prepared."_

_Woman winked. "Are you sure, Jacen?"_

_He switched off his lightsaber. He looked decided. "Yes." He said. "Show me." _

''''

He woke up. He was in the same helpless situation as he was when he was conscious before. But this time he felt pretty down.

_They will all fall… because I won't be strong enough to prevail… what the Force wants to tell me? If this is the future, does it have any sense to try to change it? Maybe it's late or I ruined every chance to change… where are my teachers when I really need them? Where is Padmé? Where's her love? Where are my kids, where are their innocent minds, the only things that buoyed me up?_

_But is love the thing that can keep me from the darkness? My love for Padmé took me into these depths. What if she's really the one that's keeping me down?_

_I need answers, no more questions._

_Obi-Wan still tried to give me an advice, but never replied to any answer._

_Palpatine answered the questions that helped him by being answered. He left the important points in darkness, and thus kept me confused._

_Is there anyone who can answer me?_

_Maybe the truth is in the future. Maybe the Force can give me the answers I desired._

He tried to breath, but he felt that it didn't helped much. The cockpit was running out of oxygen.

His last thought was: _Is love a dark emotion? Or is it the most shining light in the galaxy?_

He fell unconscious again.

''''

_Another dream... no, not dream – vision._

_A woman stood on the edge on big round window. Strong gusts of wind roused her brown hair. Her face was adorned by strange markings. She looked down, to the depths below. The window was broken, like someone threw something heavy through it. It looked like she is deciding if she has to jump._

_She suddenly made up her mind and moved quickly forward. Anakin noticed she has a lightsaber in her hand._

"_Vestara."_

_As quickly as she started moving, the woman stopped. Her hand clasped the hilt more closely._

"_Vestara."_

_She closed her eyes. "Ben."_

"_I see you're about to leave."_

_She opened her eyes and turned back. "Yes."_

_The man what was talking to her smiled a bit. "I will not ask you where's Daala."_

_Woman carefully watched him. "Good for you. She's above your reach, anyway."_

"_I was searching for you."_

"_Ben, you know that I am a Sith. I have it in my veins. You can't change me." She said, but her voice sounded pained._

"_I know." He answered._

_She shook her head. "No."_

_He made a few steps towards her. "Vestara. You said that what I feel towards you is my own choice."_

"_This aren't exactly my words, Ben."_

"_You know what I mean."_

"_I know. And you know what I mean."_

"_You can't just join us."_

"_I am son of Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade. I am the grandson of Darth Vader. I am powerful in the force. And I am teaching fast."_

"_Ben…"_

"_Do you think that they will not accept me?"_

"_Why did you change your mind so suddenly? Why you once accept that we are on the opposite sides and then not at once?"_

_The man, Ben, smiled. "The Jedi somehow failed to teach me lightsaber fight properly. I hoped your Sith would be better. I've seen you in fight, Vestara."_

_She smiled, too. "Oh, Ben, you are such a fool."_

"_Maybe I am, but, Vestara, I have no one other left."_

"_Jaina…"_

"_Jaina has her beloved Jagged and her own life. And the second point was that…" he walked slowly to her. "Vest, I've never had someone like you. You was my enemy, my friend..."_

"_You don't know anything about the dark side."_

"_Then tell me everything you know. Show me, teach me. Be my teacher, Vestara."_

"_You went mad, Ben. Are you listening to yourself? You are a Jedi and you know it."_

"_Some Jedi crashed and fell to the dark side. I have a crush on you, Vest. I shall go mad if I'll be forced to fight you."_

"_My teachings include lots of fighting."_

"_I want to fight them."_

"_Ben…"_

"_Show it to me, Vestara. How it is to be a Sith?"_

"_Ben…"_

"_Teach me."_

_She took his arm. "Okay. Do you want to know how it feels to be free and succumb to the temptations?"_

"_Show me."_

"_First… do you trust me, Ben?"_

"_I would trust you with my own life."_

"_Second – I have to ask - you resisted the dark side all the time Jacen was fooling you, all the time you were so close to it, and never even looked its way. And now you will just fall because of me? I am not that good, I think."_

"_You are the best in my life, Vest. And you are the only one I was thinking about last months. It was making me crazy."_

_She didn't know what to say. So she said: "This will maybe scare you."_

_But Ben was already decided. "Show it to me."_

_Vestara smiled and jumped down from the building. She took Ben with her._

The vision ended here.

_If this is love, what is insanity?_

''''

He heard a slight noise of building full with people; then he felt someone pulping his hand; someone breathed in disbelief.

"Anakin? Anakin! Ani!" It was Padmé. And, according to her cries, she went crazy. "Can you hear me, Ani?"

"Not that loud..." he muttered.

She didn't understand him. Or didn't listen to him. "Oh, Ani, you are conscious! I almost..." her voice dropped. "I almost...thought that..."

"Oh, Padmé," he mumbled.

She stopped pressing his hand so hard. "I was here with you all the time," she said.

"Padmé?"

She lent to him, so she could understand him. "What?"

He finally risked opening his eyes. Padmé's face, everytime so beautiful, looked strained with worries and lack of sleep. But now it shined with happiness.

"Padmé... do you still love me?" he asked.

She smiled. "Oh, you silly boy," she breathed out and hugged him. "Of course that I do."

He touched her hair. "Why is love so complicated?"

"Because people make it complicated. Don't look for any logic in it. You just love and that's all. Love is a state of heart, not brain. Love is when your heart pounds everytime you see someone you love, and that everytime your love is discussed, your heart is arguing with your brain, that the cry of your heart makes your brain crazy when you are not with your loved one."

"Is it bad when I want my heart to stop madding?"

She drew back and smiled. "No. I think not. But you can't make your heart stop loving as well as you can't make it stop beating. You have to live with it. Accept the fact that you love and that it is making you foolish. Live like a fool. No one can live without love."

"You accepted it, Padmé?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. Sometimes I draw back from you because I need my head to be clear, I have to think about something and it's important that my head connot be fooled by love. That's maybe why you have the feeling that I stopped loving you. But it's not that our love lost its flame. It never will."

He smiled. "You didn't say it."

"What?"

"Say it, Padmé. I love you. Say that you love Darth Vader."

"You are my little silly Anakin. I love my little silly Anakin."

"And you hate Vader."

"I don't know. I think that somewhere beyond the armor and the whole mask of heartless man, a heart is beating. And I am sure it's beating for someone. I can love that heart."

"The heart is beating for you."

Padmé smiled and lent to him. "Maybe, when Anakin won't be jealous, I can give Vader a little kiss."

"Anakin is not here at all. He's rather hotheaded, but I think that this won't make him angry."

She kissed him slightly. "I love you."

"I love you," he replied.

They looked at each other for a while. Then Padmé looked on his leg and frowned.

"This injury looked pretty bad when they took you there." She said.

"And now?"

"It looks disgusting, but they say that you'll be alright."

"And able to walk?"

"Erm... the plate..."

"Did they pull it out?"

"Of course they did. But they are feared that it cut across some important muscles and nerves."

"And that would mean what?"

"They said that... maybe it would be better to replace your leg... with a prosthetic one."

"And make me half kyborg?"

"I know. But would you rather limp all the rest of your life?"

"Why they haven't already done it?"

"It's not necessary, but better for you."

"So they left the decision on me?"

"I left the decision on you."

He looked to his leg. "Let them do it."

Padmé kissed his forehead and rose. "I'll tell it to the doctors. Oh, and, Ani..."

"Yes, my dear?"

"I know that you are tired, but there are few people that want to talk to you."

"Who?"

"Admiral Tarkin, Senator Rhea, two cadets from EIS – Assika and young Amedda – and Brood."

One of his eyebrows rose. "Maris is back?"

"Evidently. And she came back just in time. It was she who brought you here."

"Really?" then he looked at the room he was in. "By the way, where are we?"

"We are on Rodia, dear. It's close to Tatooine, so Brood brought you here. You needed immediate medical help."

"We are in Outer Rim," he said thoughtfully. "Where's Thrawn? Why's Tarkin here?"

"Thrawn is searching for the ship that attacked you with his fleet."

"Does he have any idea how it looks?"

"Um... commanders Assika and Ergen gave him approximative description."

"Well. It's a help, at least."

"Do you want me to let them in?"

"At one bout? No. Please."

She smiled. "Who do you want to see first?"

He replied her smile. "Let them struggle for it. That can be fun."

"You are cruel, Ani."

"Isn't that the reason why you married me?"

She didn't answer. Just left the room and the door gently closed behind her.

He closed his eyes. Yes, he was tired, but this couldn't keep him from fulfilling his duties.

He heard the door open, and a gentle, rustling sound of a cloth crushed in fist.

He smiled, but not even bothered to open his eyes. "Maris,"

"Master," she replied.

"I would express my thanks to you, but wouldn't it even strengthen your ego?"

"Is a big ego bad for sith, master?"

"Sith can't let himself daze with his own ego. Big ego is bad ego. Beacuse people with large ego don't see the ambient world."

"The worst you can do in anything related to Force is to blind yourself, if I understand."

He nodded. "You do. You can't just let your eyes closed because it hurts to open them, because seeing what you see hurts."

"What do you think you will see when you'll open your eyes, master?"

"How do you mean it, Maris?"

"Does seeing me hurt you, master?"

He considered it. "I don't know. Maybe. I... I somehow feel that I created you as you are now... created Tempt, by showing you the temptations of the dark side your masters tried to turn you away from them. I don't know if it was right."

"You saved my life by doing it."

"And how many lives I scattered? I don't know what will happen in the future as well as you do. It's so... so easy to lose control."

"This is what happened to you in the Temple? You lose control?"

He shook his head. "I just executed it. I didn't enjoyed it, didn't feel anything. I used my anger to do it, but otherwise there were no feelings, no emotions in my head. It was an order; I executed it."

He felt her as she sat on his bed. "When I was away... I felt a moment when it was like I've just woke up from a dream... awful and bloody one. I was standing in a middle of circle of dead bodies."

"You lose your control."

"Absolutely. I was lost in my feelings."

"You can't let them control you, Maris."

"I wasn't teached how to control them and utilize them. Just how to suppress them."

She didn't notice he was looking at her.

"Do you think I can teach it to you?"

She nodded. "That's why I planned to come back. I didn't want it to happen again."

"How did you find me?"

"I felt your plea for help."

"I've searched for you. Couldn't find you."

She smiled. "You didn't use the right way."

"Are you speaking about that bond again?"

"Yes. This is how I –"

"I don't feel any bond, Maris."

"Becuse you don't want to trust. I felt your pain, your despair, your loneliness, sadness..."

"Stop it, Maris."

"I felt it like it all happened to me. I knew it was you. It had your taste."

"By what you think that that imaginary bond is caused?"

"You brought me to the dark side, that's it."

"Sidious brought me to the dark side. When I was killing him, when I was quartering his body, I felt no bond at all."

"This is not the same. He brought you to the dark side by showing you the darkness you had in yourself. He showed you your own darknes. But in the forest... you haven't showed me my darkness. You showed me yours, drown me into it. I found a beauty in it. Embraced it."

"And doing that was maybe the worst decision in my life."

She took his hand. He tried to slip, but she held him tightly. She enlaced their fingers. "See this, master? This is us. This is what your deed did to us. We share emotions. We share pain, happiness, anger. It's not the same bond as a friendship, apprenticeship, it's not love. It's connection. You can't possibly get rid of me. I tried. But you brought me back again."

"I didn't do this wittingly."

"It was a will of the Force."

"You are pretty stubborn, Maris."

"Don't try to distract me. Listen. I think that it don't faint with time. It's lasting and painful. And it will be till the ends of our lives. It will not let me leave you, even if I want to. I am forced to stay with you and stay loyal to you forever. You made an ally. Everlasting ally."

"Do I have to rejoice?"

"No. It's not much joyful and I know it."

He was silent for some long moments. "Do you believe in destiny?" he asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Destiny – I mean, do you believe that there are some things that are preplanned to happen? That they'll happen, no matter what you will do to prevent them."

"I was a Jedi. We believe in it. I thought you do, too."

He tried to avoid looking in her eyes. "I did. Till one of my visions proved false."

"No every vision comes true."

"Every vision i had so far did."

"Do you think that they trusted that you're the Chosen One means that every your vision have to come true?"

"I thought so."

"You had some vision that alarmed you?"

"I had two such visions. I don't know why. Maybe because the Force tries to tell me that I cam prevent them from happening. Or, maybe, it wants me to accept the fact that tere are things that have to happen and trying to prevent them breaks the harmony, the balance."

"What was in your visions?"

"There were two parts of the first. In the first one, I saw... I saw my son, Luke."

She smiled. "You have a son?"

He nodded blankly. "Yes. Son and daughter. Luke and Leia. They are twins."

"How old are they?"

"They are actually still a newborns. But in that vision, Luke was older. About fifteen, sixteen, or older. He was in a room with a man, and they spoke... they spoke about me. The man explained Luke why I fell to the dark side. And why I never left it."

She looked at him attentively. "They... they spoke about you..."

"As my life is a past, yes. If that vision will come true, I will be dead in time Luke will become a man."

She looked over her shoulder to the door, but he saw that she tires to find words to tell him. "Oh, I understand." She said weakly.

"No. No, you don't."

She shrugged. "I can't understand how it is to know that you will not be with your son in his hard times, that's true."

"This is not all, Maris."

"It isn't?"

"No. He explained to Luke how I let the dark side embrace me, and wasn't strong enough to get out of it's grip. He... he thought that he is. That he is stronger than me. That he can accept the dark side without falling to it blindly."

"So he will fall to the dark side?"

"That's what the vision tells me."

"How do you think you can prevent that?"

"I... I don't know. Maybe... if I were there with him, I would be able to help him. I can't let anyone kill me."

"Do you think that that will help?"

"I see one more way. Painful and hard."

"What way?"

He smiled sadly. "Come back to the light."

She squeezed his hand. He didn't notice that she's still holding him.

"You can't." She said.

"Why?"

"You're too deep in it."

"Anyone can be redeemed. Yes, maybe except Palpatine."

"You can't."

"Why do you think so, Maris?"

She bit her lip. "The bond..."

"It doesn't exist, Maris."

She closed her eyes. "Is this what you think?"

"I couldn't see you when you hid yourself in the Force. Didn't feel you."

The corner of her lip twitched. "Feel me? Do you want to feel me?"

"You understand what I mean, Maris."

She reopened her eyes. "I do, master." She replied.

She dropped his hand, reached to her belt and drew out a vibroblade.

"This is heirloom of our family. I took it from my mother's dead body." She said and touched the blade.

"Beautiful design." He admitted.

"Yes. And it's kriffin' sharp." She said, turned the blade and stabbed her left palm.

And he felt it, not a pain in his own hand, but the stunning, nipping taste of pain. He felt that it's coming from her; it had the wild, tameless feeling of her mind.

Her eyes widened. "You felt it!" she said triumphantly.

He smiled painfully. "And you didn't trust that it will work."

She repaid his smile. "Not fully. I was feared it works only in one direction. From you to me."

He looked at his palm, making sure that his own palm is untouched. "It's strong."

She shrugged. "We are close to each other. When you hurt yourself above Tatooine, I was on Nelvaan. It wasn't that weak, but I still think that if I were on the other side of the galaxy, on Bimmiel, for instance, I would feel it just as a light tickle."

He looked at her bleeding palm. "You would rather treat it. It doesn't look good."

She shook her head. "Just a scratch. I am useful for you just if I am able to fight. It would not help anything if I stabbed my hand thorough."

"You can be useful for me in the other way, too."

She nodded. "Yeah, I heard you acquired ten spare apprentices."

He grinned. "Don't be jealous, Maris. You're my only real apprentice. They are just... experiments."

She stood up and went to the table to treat her wound. "Experiments?"

"I have to admit that I thought about making them my full-value apprentices at first, but then..."

"You felt guilty for leaving me behind."

"As you please."

She snorted faintly and bandaged her wound.

"Jedi were great warriors in the Clone Wars." He said.

She looked back at him and found him sitting, leaning against the wall and wathing her.

"How does it cohere?" she asked.

"They could control the Force, they were able to use lightsabers, and they were loyal to the Republic."

She fixed the bandage. "That's true."

"The bad thing was that they were traitors."

"I never met..."

"Most Jedi didn't know it. The Jedi Council manipulated with us all."

She sat back onto his bed. "This is the reason why the Order 66 was issued?"

He nodded.

She watched her hand. "We all were pawns in their game?"

"Nothing but pawns."

She fisted. "Mongrels."

He shook his head. "Players. They played – and lose."

She looked at the bandage. Few drops of blood soaked through it. "Who overplayed them?" she asked. "You, or your master – Sidious?"

"Sidious. By my hand. But he overplayed them strategically."

She sighed. Then she turned to him. "What do you want me to do with your experiments?"

He grimaced. "We call them cadets. I am... uh, unable to continue their training now, but when I was in action with Assika and the little twi'lek, I found out how important the lightsaber training is."

"Do you want me to train them? I am not much good in fight. You've beaten me, if you remember."

He nodded impatiently. "I do, but you have a basic training. They don't. I need you to give it to them. All they have now is natural talent and instincts. This is what saved the lives of these two. Talent, instincts, and blasters. And, when I think about it again, the main thing that saved Ergen was cortosis."

She grinned. "Cortosis can come in handy."

"But it's hard to obtain."

She shrugged. "That's true. Is that all you need from me?"

"Not at all. I want them to find their own fighting style – I want you to show them various types of lightweapons. We have most of them in stock – maybe except lightclub and lightwhip. And you can show them the seven forms of combat."

"Shii-Cho, Makashi, and these?"

He smiled. "If you'll be so kind..."

She grimaced. "Do I have any choice?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. Now, Padmé said that two of my cadets are waiting outside..."

"Do you mean the narked chagrian and the arkanian with a ball?"

"Ball?"

"Yes, the Arkanian is playing with a metal ball – trying to hold it in the air as long as she's able to."

This interested him. "How's she doing?"

Maris shrugged. "She's not bad in it; I think she just needs a bit more training."

"This is what I am trying to give them – training." He looked at his hands. "Do you know who that chagrian is?"

She shook her head. "Nope. But she's quite powerful, isn't she? Where did you find that girl?"

He grinned. "This is the funny thing – in Mas Amedda's room in infirmary. She's his daughter."

"I wonder why they didn't take her to the Temple."

"Me too. But better for us, huh?"

"And who's this arkanian?"

"Newly promoted imperial commander Lilliah Assika."

"Sounds serious."

"That means that she is PIA – Proven In Action – what means that I've seen her in action and know it has any sense to continue her training, because she is enough powerful and resourceful – strong both physically and psychically to complete it and become a full-fledged member of my Empire's administration."

"Is she really so good?"

"She managed to stay alive and reveal a spy – that means, yes. She _is_ that good."

Maris grinned and stood up. "So, can I call them in?"

"Sure."

She went to the door. "Uh, do you want me to leave?"

"No, stay here. And –"

She turned. "Yes, my lord?"

He grinned, too. He took his lightsaber from the bedside table.

One of her eyebrows rose. "Are you feared they will attack you?"

He shook his head. He threw her his lightsaber. She caught it skilfully.

"Take this."

She lent his head on side, but fixed the lightsaber to her belt. "Why?"

"Just so."

She shook her head and opened the door. "Cadet Amedda and Commander Assika?"

"Yes, sir?" two voices sounded from the outer chamber.

"Lord Vader wishes to speak with you."

Maris came back to his bed and let the door open. She took a place at his right shoulder, and carefully revealed her right tonfa.

Lilliah and Arido came to the room. Lilliah closed the door behind them. She watched Maris attentively.

Arido and Lilliah both bowed.

"Master Vader," they both said.

"Cadet Ammeda," he gave her a nod. "Commander Assika,"

His eyes fixed on Assika's EIS uniform. She had a simple black jumpsuit with shiny new commander facings. Amedda had cadet's ones.

"Lilliah, Arido, this is Maris Brood." He waved his hand toward her. "She is my hand and my apprentice. Her rank is equal to the rank of Grand Admiral, so she is higher ranked than you both."

Lilliah and Arido both gave her a nod.

Arido turned to him. Her mouth was as thin as a link. "Master, for first, can I ask why were Lilliah and Gni promoted? Why are they commanders and we are still cadets?"

"Lilliah and Gni were in action with me, and prove themselves worthy of my time and training. So they were promoted. Prove yourself worthy of being a commander, and I'll promote you, too."

She nodded stiffly. "I understand."

"Any news from the EIS?" he asked.

"As you ordered, we all passed a basic blaster shooting practice." She answered.

He turned to Lilliah. "I spoke to commander Hitch and he said that he will provide you and Gni with the same practice in your free time between lessons."

She smiled. "Thank you, master."

He raised his hand. "Don't mention it. Now, to the reason why is Maris here. Maris received a basic Jedi training in lightsaber combat," he looked at both girls if they reacted somehow. They both looked neutral. "so she will be able to provide it to you. She will be your mentor in basic lightsaber combat."

Lilliah raised her brows. "What about To'Kar, sir?"

"Hm," he looked on Maris.

She looked at him. "Who is To'Kar, my lord?"

"A nautolan Jedi Padawan. Or, maybe I should say former padawan. He agreed to become one of the EIS Cadets. He was captured by me and Ergen." Lilliah answered.

Maris looked at her and grinned.

Vader shrugged. "Maybe he can help you with training, Maris," he suggested.

She touched her tonfa. "Maybe he is more skilled with classic lightsaber than I am."

Lilliah noticed the lightsaber at her belt. "You have master's lightsaber!" she said. She sounded hurt.

Vader smiled and Maris suddenly woked out his intentions.

"Yes, it's my lightsaber." He nodded. Then he patted his leg and twitched. "As you see, I am not much able to fight with it. I needed someone to watch over it. I trust Maris with it."

He saw as Lilliah threw an obscure suspicious look on her. Maris answered it boldly.

"Is that all you need?" he asked.

"Uh, one more thing," Arido said slowly. "The Renegades quieted down a little. It looks like Marek is calmer when you're not at the room. But they train fighting all night."

He shrugged. "This is nothing I can tax them with."

"They are pretty eery."

He grinned. "As I said. This is not something bad."

"When we'll have our first lesson of lightsaber fight?"

Vader looked on Maris. "If Maris won't blame me for it, I would want her to accompany you to the EIS academy in former Jedi Temple, and start your first lesson right after coming there."

Maris bowed. "As you wish, master."

"I think that's all. Could you go now?"

Arido and Lilliah bowed. "See you later, master Vader." They said and then both looked at Maris.

She waved her hand. "Go ahead. I will catch up with you in a minute."

"Yes, mistress."

They both left. Maris grinned at Anakin.

"Blame you? Never." She said.

He grinned, too. "My lightsaber, please."

She gave it to him. "I really don't understand what is this useful for."

He shrugged and palmed his lightsaber. "I wanted them to see that I really trust you."

"You kept calling me by my first name. Isn't that obvious enough?"

"Maybe not for them."

"Do you think that they are stupid?"

"I don't know them good enough to judge them. So I want you to tell me everything you will find out about them."

"Of course."

"Report to me after every lesson."

"Indeed."

"And when you'll be leaving, tell Admiral Tarkin that I want him to come here, please."

"Yes, sir."

He looked thoughtful. "Do you want to call me Anakin?" he asked.

She considered for a moment. "No, better no. I sense when you feel unwell because your wife is mad at you, I feel your delight when you are kissing her. Don't make it too personal."

He grimaced. She walked to the door.

"Goodbye, madam Brood." He said after her.

She didn't turn. "Goodbye, Emperor Vader."

She went to the outer chamber, where Lilliah and Arido waited for her. She didn't close the door, so he saw her as she stopped at Tarkin and lent to him. He raised his brows and threw a look on Rhea. She answered his look with a coolness of qualified diplomat. He nodded at Maris, and she left the corridor. Tarkin stood up, and said something to Rhea. She shook her head and added something. He nodded and went to him.

Door slid shut behind him.

"Skywalker," he said and took a stand in front of his bed.

Anakin grinned. "Still didn't get used to call me Emperor?"

He grinned, too, and shook his head. "I think that I never will."

Vader shrugged. "I don't blame you for it." He said. "What did you say do Narusse?"

His brow shot up. "What, please?"

"I mean to Senator Rhea."

"I just needed to ask her something."

Vader sighed. "So it's not for my ears."

"I am sure she will tell you herself. She is more qualified for that."

"For telling a bad news?"

Tarkin shrugged.

"Uh, no matter. You have some news for me, do you?"

He nodded. "Military news. Yes."

"So talk,"

"Thrawn took a starfighter fleet and the Chimaera and he's looking for the ship that attacked you."

"Padmé already told me. How are they doing?"

"Not much good. We practically have no idea how the ship's looking, and who's inside."

"They refused to talk to me, so I don't know who's leading the ship, but I think I can give you better description than Lill and Gni."

"Who?"

"The two kids who were there with me."

He nodded. "Oh, of course."

Vader called back the memory of himself, sitting helpless in his fighter, when the enemy ship heated up the connons and targeted him. "I had time to watch it."

"So, how did it look like?"

"It wasn't a usual type of military transport. It was kind of plump, and oval. It was dark painted, dark blue or black. It had a white sign on left wing. Wings were curved to the hull; it had sand cleaved on the lower part of the hull... when I think about it, I've never seen such a ship."

"Unusual oval ship? This helps."

Vader grimaced. "At least."

Tarkin looked a bit puzzled. "We sent a sentry to control the ships leaving Kashyyyk."

"Any Z-95s?"

"Not even a one. No ship with anyone looking like a Jedi."

"It's easy not to look like a Jedi, when you're not wearing the robes."

Tarkin shrugged. "We're doing our best."

"Any news from Isard? What about her investigation of the rebellious planets?"

"She still didn't take a step forward. Everything looks calm since that action on Phaeda."

"What about these Y-wings?"

"They wee took from a republic mimitary stock placed there."

"No unadvisedly used access card, or something?"

Tarkin shook his head. "No, sir. They simply broke into it."

"Hm. What about Tatooine? Do you think that it has a connection with the rebellion?"

"It might have, but we can't be sure. But I'll bet it has."

"I do, too." He thought for a moment. "They had to get an echo that we were asking Coruscant for reinforcements. And an echo that we went on Tatooine."

"Isard took few of her trusted people and they are looking for a spy."

"Who realized that before me?"

"Isard herself."

"She's bright, isn't she?"

"She has her brains after her father."

"She merits a reward."

"You are in a good mood."

"I just survived pretty unenviable situation. It's inferable."

"Do you want to give her a pretty new shiny ship? And then invite her for a drink?"

Vader smiled. "This was intended to be a joke?"

Tarkin smiled, too. "It sounded better in my head."

"But you've got a point, old fellow. But I think that I am the one who needs a new ship."

"I'll find you one."

"And one for Isard?"

"You were serious?"

"Why not? We need skilled admirals. But they can't do their duty without flagships."

"You're pretty scary when you hit on it."

He shrugged. "Not more scary than with a lightsaber. And when we speak about lightsabers..." he took his one into palm. "I need a new lightsaber."

He looked on it with awe typical for people, who saw it in action. "It's broken?"

He shook his head. "No. But it's a Jedi lightsaber."

"When you're throwing something behind your back, it's better to throw everything, right?"

"Yes."

"I must say that I understand."

He laid the saber on his finger and balanced it. "You know, Tarkin, you're the one of the less people I trust when they say that they understand."

"Is that an honour?"

He caught the blade with his other hand. "In some situations."

"I have to call Thrawn with the new description of the wanted ship."

"You can go."

Tarkin nodded. "Thanks. Shall I call Rhea in, or you're tired?"

"She already saw me tired. I think we both can manage it."

Tarkin grinned and left him.

Anakin skilfully disassembled his lightsaber. He took the crystal from it into his hands, trying it's weight. He heard clapping of Rhea's heels, and felt her coming into the room. He looked up. Her dark eyes were flanked with dark shadows.

She went to the side of his bed, and dropped a curtsy. Then she shraightened, threw her long, red braid backwards, and started speaking.

"It's nice to see you feel well, Emperor." She said. She was gravel-voiced.

"Thank you, but you don't look good, Rhea. Worries?"

She nodded slightly. "Yes. Lots and lots of worries."

"You sound like you were speaking whole day."

"I did." She rubbed her eyes. "Called all my friends in the Senate, all my allies in the underworld, pulled every string I have... but I'm afraid that to no avail."

"It's that because of the thing Tarkin refused to tell me, because he wanted you to tell me?"

Rhea raised her perfectly shaped eyebrow. "He didn't? I trusted him, that he won't, but I wasn't that sure about your wife..."

"I understand what you mean, but she didn't tell me anything. Might you?"

"Oh, yes, of course, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, but speak. It sounds important."

She nodded quickly. "Yes, yes. You were already aware that the Senate refused to start a blockade of Kashyyyk?"

"Yes, Padmé told me that. And Tarkin told me that he already solved it. Not as efficiently as the blockade would do, but satisfsactorily."

"This thing is related, but loosely. I told in the Senate that you want to start the blockade, because you have safe contact, who told you that Yoda and Kento Marek – two jedi – are maybe there, hiding, and that it would be most unpleasant if they ran away."

"Most unpleasant? Yoda is a brain of the Jedi order! We will never get rid of the Jedi if Yoda's still alive!"

Rhea looked down. "Everyone still somehow trusts that Jedi are believeable."

"They are stupid."

"I don't say that they aren't, but you still need them."

"I am an Emperor, am I not? I can dissolve them."

"That wouldn't help you much. At least not politically. People are unquiet now, what would they do if they found out that you dissolved the Senate, the last democratic thing in the Empire?"

"We can do away with unquiet people. We can handle with a rebellion. But no if the Senate, what is supporting the rebels, is restraining us?"

"Dissolving the Senate will just help the rebels. More people will join them. They can start being sufficient to meet your attacks and hold on."

He shook his head vigorously, and chafed his face with his left, organic palm. "No, no. There must be a solution."

"Ifthere is some, we will find it." Rhea said.

"We can just hope."

"We can try."

He looked at her. She was right, and that bothered him.

"If the failed blockade of Kashyyyk wasn't the point, what is?" he asked.

"Some of our political rivals, the republic loyalists, claim that your ascension to the throne is an invalid and illegal thing. They are looking for people to support them, sign their petition, and compel new elections."

"What elections?"

"Palpatine's rule was valid, because he was the Supreme Chancellor, and the contingency orders say that in the times it will be necessary, the Supreme Chancellor will turn into the Galactic Emperor, along with the Republic, what will become a Galactic Empire."

He nodded as he realized it. "I wasn't a Supreme Chancellor."

"Yes. But you will be, if we manage to find you enough supporters."

"Dissolvation of the Senate doesn't come on force in that point."

Rhea nodded grimly. "No."

"You tried to find me some supporters?"

"Yes, my lord."

He looked at her attentively. "Why?"

She answered his look coldly. "It will do me no good if they success and you will be deposed. I am the Emperor's voice in the Senate, and I am proud that I can be. The other Emperor will not be as generous about my person as you are."

His eyes narrowed. "I hope that I bet on the right card."

She folded her arms. "Not on the cleanest of the cards, but on a lucky one." She said.

"Better win that bet, Rhea."

"I can't do it myself, my lord."

He looked at her. She wore a fur-rimmed cloak in glittering black, and dark red jumpsuit what was in contrast with ostentatious cloak. She looked both efficient and good-looking.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Depends on... do you have moral blocks regarding terrorization?"

He couldn't help himself, and smiled. "I am not sure if I have any moral blocks left."

"All the better," she said. "But I am not sure we have anything that can intimidate them."

He recalled the holo of a big, round battle station. "What do you know about the project Death Star I?" he asked.

"Nothing, but it sounds interesting."

"Just a few days ago, I learnt that Palpatine ordered Tarkin to start working on plans for a gigantic and highly effective battle station. Battle station with such an amazing firepower, that it would be able to destroy the whole planet."

"You want to threaten them with the plans? That you will build it and use it against them?"

He grinned pleasedly. "We are already building it."

Her eyes widened. "How much time do you need to finish the construction?"

She noticed the bleakness in his grin just after she asked.

"Much time. Months, years..."

She considered it. "The Senate knows about that?" she asked.

"Did_ you_ know about it?" he replied with a question.

She looked confused. "I've told you that I did not."

"And you are one of my closest people. Think about it."

"Oh. So they don't."

He grimaced. "Clever girl."

She rolled her eyes. "They don't know that we need the time. We can throw a bluff."

"Interesting idea. Do you think that they will get limed?"

She shrugged. "We can try it, at least."

"That won't give me their symphaty."

"I am sorry that I must say it, but you've already lost it."

"Who is trying to start new elections?"

"The main people are Mon Mothma, Bail Organa..."

"These all are Padmé's former comrades. She can have a talk to them."

Rhea shook her head. "No. No, she can't. They turned against her, when she became an Empress. They felt betrayed. They felt that she abandoned her moral compass and her devotion to the democracy because she wanted more political power."

"This is why she conferred with them all? She wanted to persuade them that she is still on the democracy's behalf?"

She shrugged. "That sounds likely."

"Who else is on the list?"

"Garm Bel Iblis. These are the main stimulators."

"So. Mon Mothma, Bail Organa and Garm Bel Iblis, right?"

She nodded. "These are the three we have to force to stop this game. We don't have good cards to play it."

"Chandrila, Alderaan and Corellia."

"Yes."

"It would be bad for the whole galaxy to lose Corellia."

"This can be a good argument."

"Give me a good comm unit and I'll take care of it."

Rhea dropped a little bow. "As you wish, my lord. I'll get you one."

"And I need to get back to Coruscant."

"Right after your last surgery."

"Thanks. What about Somi Kha? Padmé said that she starts being unquiet."

"I talked to her. She'll be fine. You can talk to her when you'll get to Coruscant."

He smiled. "Good work, Rhea."

She smiled, too. "Thank you, my lord."

"If that's all..."

"Yes?"

"I need to have a sleep."

She nodded. "Me too. Good night, Your Majesty."

"Good night, Rhea."

She left, and Anakin collapsed into the pillow. He fell asleep almost immediately.

''''

_**Some time later, on Coruscant, in the spaces of the EIS Academy...**_

Maris walked into the room. She changed her dress, now she was dressed in her usual dark training robes, and a cloak with a raised hood. She went throught the doorway, followed by a levitating plasteel box with weapons. The door slid shut behind her. She swanked. Arrantly.

She walked past three rows of mats, with kneeling cadets on them. They were all wearing black jumpsuits, most of them with cadet's hash marks, just two of them with the commander's ones. She walked to the chair for the master, with a table next to it. She laid the box on the table and threw her cloak on the chair. She turned to the cadets, who all watched her attentively, except To'Kar, who was amused by her flaunt.

She linked her hands behind her back.

"Good morning," she said.

"Good morning, Mistress." Cadets answered.

"For the ones who don't know me, my name is Maris Brood and I am the Hand of your master, Emperor Vader."

None of them looked impressed.

"And his apprentice."

None of them looked pleased.

"I will be your temporary lightsaber fighting mentor."

This evoked few smiles between the kids.

"For first, I have to tell you that every one single lightsaber swordsman has his own style of fight. And every fighting style required a sufficient weapon."

"My style is a vibroblade." Someone said.

She looked at he speaked. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Nico Selwenna." The Mirialan answered.

She smiled and patted the vibroblade in case on her belt. "I know what you mean, Yellow head."

Nico grinned.

"But I was speaking about lightweapons." She dipped into the box and pulled out one of her own tonfas. "My style is this."

"What's that?" someone else asked.

Maris sighed. "Can you be so nice and tell me your name when you're asking something?"

The questioner looked hurt. "Lilliah Assika." She snapped. "What's that?"

Maris gripped it properly and ignited it. "This is called a lightsaber tonfa or a guard shoto." She made few moves with it. "It's more a defensive weapon, but in hand of someone trained to use it, it's a deadly weapon."

"I like this." Lilliah smiled.

She threw a smile on her, too. "I am not surprised." She switched the tonfa off and handed it to little Zabrak in front of her. "Try to hold it, try some lunges and please don't kill your mates in the progress." She told her. "And then hand it to your seat mate."

Bidi took the tonfa. Maris lent and showed her the right grip.

"The blade can be holded reversely, or usually, by the perpendicular handle. It's really good at blocking attacks." She said.

Bidi's seatmate watched her as she ignited it carefully. "But not that good in attack itself." He added.

Maris looked at him. "Name?"

"Galen Marek."

Her mouth moved to the side. "I knew your father."

Galen shrugged. "Better than I did, I suppose."

Bidi handed the tonfa to him.

Maris watched the weapon with love. "It's a really rare wepon. There were only four people in the whole Jedi Temple using it."

Galen swung the blade backwards for fun, and scraped by Cal's arm.

"Idiot," Cal hissed.

Maris grinned. "I said that you have to say your name when you are speaking."

"Just when we're asking," he snarled.

"Okay, so you'll be Stripehead." She said.

Cal rolled his eyes. Galen handed the tonfa to Tiri, who sat beside him.

Tiri fought the switch, and when she finally found out how to hold it, she almost stabbed her belly.

Maris watched her sneeringly. "It's pretty dangerous in unskilled hands."

Tiri threw a spiteful look on her, raised the tonfa to her neck and did a cutting move. She held the blade away from her neck, but it still had the right effect.

Maris grinned. "You have the right temperament for being an imperial..."

"Tirishah Baldiac." She finished.

"Not Redface?" Maris asked.

"Tirishah."

"Redface is funnier." Maris ended it.

Tiri rolled her eyes, too, and handed the tonfa along. The next one was Nico – or Yellowhead, as you please.

"Selwenna again." He said and swung the blade. "Is that weapon yours?"

Maris nodded. "Yes. I am fighting with two tonfas."

Nico swung the blade again. "I don't have an idea how."

Maris smiled. "Maybe I'll show it to you sometime."

Nico smiled. "Great."

He handed it to the row behind him, to Lilliah.

She took it and tried some jabbing with it. "Assika again," she said. "Have you fought our master with it?"

She nodded, but didn't give them any additional info.

Lilliah looked to To'Kar beside him, and he nodded. She handed him the tonfa.

"To'Kar," he notified. "Is he a good fighter?"

Maris' eyebrows rose. "That meant How he fight or Did you win?"

To'Kar shrugged. "Piece of both."

"I lose, though I am not bad in lightsaber fight. He's an amazing fighter. He was able to defeat Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the best duellists ever."

"We didn't expect that you are a bad fighter." Lilliah said.

"Really?"

Lill nodded. "Yes. If you were a bad fighter, he would send someone else to train us, don't you think?"

Maris shrugged. "I am not that sure that everything the Emperor's doing makes sense."

Lill grinned and wanted to answer, but Galen was faster.

"We aren't, too. We just hope." He said.

"You have a quick mouth, Marek." Maris said. "Are you quick with a lightsaber as well?"

Galen shrugged. "We will find it out soon, well?"

Maris nodded. "I hope so."

To'Kar handed the tonfa to Finna.

"Finna Sal'leh," she said. "Is this tonfa yours?"

Maris nodded again. "Yes. This is the tonfa that battled your master's lightsaber."

Finna did a silent "wow" and did some wild swings with it, and she almost hit Galen's back.

"Be careful, oaf!" he snarled.

"Shut up," she snapped.

"Easy, cadets." Maris said.

Galen looked at her. "I thought that anger is a good emotion."

She answered his look. "Not good – powerful. And anger is powerful while you're fighting, not when you are supposed to be quiet."

Galen rolled his eyes and whispered something to Tiri. She giggled.

Cal, the next holder of the tonfa, raised his voice. "Cal Tey," he introduced himself. "Were you a Jedi?"

Maris sighed. "Have I said that everyone who's holding the tonfa should ask me something?"

Cal shook his head. "No, mistress."

"So now I am saying it. Everyone who introduces himself and is holding a weapon that is in question can ask me for something."

"And were you a Jedi?"

Maris nodded. "I was a Jedi Padawan."

Cal gave the tonfa to Gni in the row behind him.

"Gni Ergen," he said.

"The one that survived only thanks to the cortosis?" she interrupted.

Gni's face turned red. "Yer,"

She raised her brows. "I must admit that according to the way you're holding the tonfa, and to your height, you must be good if you're still alive, Greentail."

Gni grimaced. "Thank you."

"Your question?" she bid him.

"You weren't a Knight?"

She laid her hands on her hips. "Almost. If the Order 66 wasn't issued, I would have my knighting ceremony by now."

"Bad luck," Gni said.

She shrugged. "Not that bad. I am here, and that makes me a lucky woman."

This time it was Finna who spoke up. "You're here, watching us kids. Is it good?"

Maris' mouth jerked. "Better than being tortured in Imperial prison." She said.

Gni gave the guard shoto over to Eliash.

Eliash told his name to Maris, and took a time to find out some question. Suddenly, he said, "The thing that's really bothering me is – you will not call me Blonde as Master Vader, will you?"

Maris grinned. "Of course I won't, Cheater."

Eliash's voice sounded indigant. "Why Cheater?"

"Master Vader said that your trials for acceptance in the EIS were aimed at your fighting talent and Force-sensitiveness. You are not much powerful in the Force, and you're too short and weak to depend on raw force. So you must be resourceful. You have to cheat."

This settled him down. Maris called her master before that lesson and he gave her some basic information about the previous actions in the EIS project.

The last one was Arido.

"Arido Amedda. Do you hate master Vader?" she asked quickly.

Maris raised her brow. "Why are you asking?"

"I feel your emotional twitch everytime you're speaking about him." Arido answered.

Maris considered. _Do I? _"I think that I don't hate him. I admire him and fear him. These are the only two emotions I have for him. Admiration and fear." She said.

"I would tell you that I don't trust you, but I think that's obvious." Arido replied and Force-pushed the tonfa above her fellows' heads to Maris, who caught it skilfully.

"It is," she admitted.

She put the tonfa back to the box.

They went along and she showed them a double-bladed lightsaber, curved-hilt lightsaber (she found out with surprise that this one just must be Dooku's lightsaber), shoto, fight with two sabers, sabercane, long-handle lightsaber, lightsaber pike and paired lightsabers. They went along in the routine of questioning, too, and she found out few more things about her students, though they found out much more about her and about her apprenticeship to Vader.

When she put the pike back to the box, she pushed it aside and sat on the table corner.

"Well, guys," she said. "I want you to make pairs and these pairs will get one training mat there," she waved her hand to the far wall of the room.

Cadets stood up.

"The Jedi padawan - To'Kar, right?" she called into the crowd that created in front of her.

Nautolan stepped out from the group. "Yes, mistress?"

She gestured at him. "Come here. You'll be in pair with me."

To'Kar nodded and walked to her.

"Hello, fellow padawan," Maris said when he took a stand next to her.

To'Kar didn't answer.

"Whose padawan you were?" she asked.

"Nokti Enuk." He answered.

Bidi paired with Finna and they both sat on the third mat from left.

"Don't know him. What form did he use?"

"Mostly Ataru and Niman."

"He taught you how to use it?"

Tiri defied Galen, but his look was fixed on Lill. Tiri went on the fourth mat with Eliash.

"Yes."

"What do you prefer?"

"Ataru. It's not bad."

"No, it isn't. As master Yoda demonstrated many times."

To'Kar shrugged. Galen asked Lilliah, and she nodded. They went on the second one.

"You have some experiences with that two – Lilliah and Gni."

To'Kar nodded. "Yes. The little Arkanian witch did this to me." He said and raised his premorse head-tail.

"Ouch." Maris commented it.

"I hoped that you will give me a chance to revenge," he said hopefully.

"I want to see them fighting, not being knocked down."

To'Kar grinned. Gni paired with Nico, and Arido with Cal.

"What about her fighting?" Maris asked.

"She's not bad in defense, I have to admit, but otherwise she's unharmful when you don't let her catch her blaster."

"And Ergen?"

"Sorry, but I didn't have time to care about him, too."

"Understand." She jumped down from the table and winked toward the last mat in the row. "Shall we go?"

To'Kar went there along with her. She let him sit down.

"Excuse me for a moment, please." She said and made few steps backwards. "Listen to me, everyone!" she called.

Kids hushed.

"Now I will want you to show me a practice fight. I need to see your weaknesses and your fighting style. Does everybody have his training saber?"

Eleven training lightsabers shot up.

"Fine. Do everyone know how to use it?"

"Yes, mistress."

"Okay. Now everyone warm up, I'll give you..." she looked on her chrono. "...two minutes to warm up, and then we'll get to the fights."

Cadets stood up and ignited their training sabers clumsily.

Maris bethinked of something. "And, miss Amedda?"

Arido raised her head. "Yes, mistress?"

"Your lightsaber in hand, please."

Arido smiled.

''''

_**Some time before that, in the Iskaayuma Hospital...**_

"Bye, Maris." Vader said his goodbye, turned the commlink off and put it on his endtable. He actually slept well, but he still didn't take courage to start his and Rhea's plan.

He laid his head on the pillow, closed his eyes and started to think out his future plans. He needed to go on Kashyyyk as soon as it'll be possible, but he was sure Padmé will not let him go anywhere until he will recover fully from the surgery. And he wanted to see the construction of the Death Star.

He felt well-rested, though he slept only for two or three hours at most. But lack of sleep was starting to be his common problem. He wanted to get up and start doing something. Anything.

The door slightly opened. He smiled when he recognized the presence.

"Padmé," he said and opened his eyes. He pulled himself up into sitting position.

Padmé smiled on him brightly. "Hello, my dear. I was afraid you are sleeping, but I am taking a visitor," she said and raised up the baby she was holding a bit.

"Leia?" Anakin asked with a broad smile.

Padmé stepped to him and gave him the baby. "Luke's sleeping," she explained and kissed Leia's forehead.

Anakin palmed her head. "She's so beautiful."

Padmé sat on his bed. "She has it after her father." She said.

Anakin grinned and bosomed the baby girl. "Oh, that means that she will have your brains and behaviour, Padmé."

Padmé smiled. "That means that you have to show me how to use a lightsaber."

He raised a brow. "Why?"

"I will need something to send away her suitors." She grinned.

"The good thing is..." he start playing with the blanket Leia was wrapped in. "that it's almost impossible for her to marry a Jedi."

"And do the same as her mother?"

Anakin's face was suddenly dark. "Do the same_ mistake_ as her mother."

Padmé shook her head. "Don't speak like that, Ani."

Leia started to cry. Anakin gave her quickly to Padmé, who started calming her down.

"Oh, no, dear, don't cry," she whispered. "Shhh, hush, hush."

"I'm sorry." Anakin said stilly.

"Shhh..." Padmé's quieting finally worked. "I know you didn't do it wittingly," she said to him.

"Leia will be a great diplomat," Anakin said with smile.

She answered it weakly. "Why?"

"She's able to stop any fight, and didn't have to say even a word. She's a natural talent."

Padmé shook her head lightly. "You're silly, Anakin."

He didn't answer and watched Leia as she tried to catch her mother's hair. She caught one lock and pulled it. Then she smiled.

"I think she is more like you," he said finally. "She has your smile."

''''

The security officer assigned to guard in front of that door, was a jovial young Togorian, below the usual height standards. His fur was tan, slightly striped.

The woman who passed through the door was below the human height standards, too, and her hands were small and long-fingered. Her shapes and features of her face were concealed by black cloak with hood she wore. Cloak's rim was slightly below her knees and revealed high black leather boots she wore. She walked to him.

He pointed his oversized blaster rifle at her.

"Hood down, my lady," he said.

To his surprise, she followed his request and threw her hood back. Her face was deep blue, with nice features, but with pitiless expression in glowing red eyes.

Togorian browsed her for any faintly familiar things. He didn't know her; that was sure.

"Who are you?" he asked.

Corner of her mouth moved to an unamused grin. She reached to her belt and pressed a button on a cuboidal device attached there.

All Togorian managed to do before he was paralyzed by the sonic attack was to shoot on the woman once.

Woman dived to left, to evade the shot, and hit the floor. Shot hit the wall behind her. She checked the audio-filters in her ears, if they are okay, and appropriated the gurad's blaster. She turned to the door just in time two guards at the outer door rushed to the room. One of them managed to shoot before he fell on his knees paralyzed by the pulse. Woman avoided that shot, too, and then killed the trio by accurately aimed shots without hesistation. She deactived the sonic weapon and pulled the audiofilters out form her ears. She kneeled to the Togorian again and took his identicard. She inserted it into the control panel beside the door and used her hand in leater glove – she didn't want to leave fingerprints – to type the passcode.

Door slid upwards and woman raised her rifle and entered. Man lying on the bed on the right slept. He slept, wasn't paralyzed. The room had to be sound-proof.

Woman switched the setting of the rifle to automatic fire. "Goodbye," she whispered and pulled the trigger.

''''

Maris was holding her ground resolutely. To'Kar still tried to make her move.

To'Kar's blade dropped. He was breathless.

"Need a break, huh?" Maris grinned.

To'Kar nodded. He sat on the mat cross-legged. Maris sat down, too.

He watched her with his brows lifted. "How are you doing that?" he asked.

Maris shrugged. "I went through few lessons of fight with Shaak Ti when I was travelling with her."

To'Kar watched his blade. "Shaak Ti was an amazing fighter."

Maris nodded. "She was."

To'Kar watched the other cadets as they warmed up. "Is she dead?"

"Yes."

"Vader?"

"Yes."

"I can't believe he overmatched her."

"I couldn't, too. He...huh... kind of distracted her." _Made her think about me. That she failed in keeping me on the Jedi path._

"You were in at it?"

Maris noticed that he was looking at her. She woke from her daydreaming and nodded. "Yes. But master doesn't know about it. I followed him secretly. I thought Shaak Ti will beat him and that I'll be able to join her again."

To'Kar frowned. "But he had beaten her."

Maris sighed. "Yes, he did. It was pretty hard to take back to the ship faster than him."

Door behind To'Kar's back slid open. Head of clone commander Hitch appeared in the doorway.

"Cadet Amedda." He said stridently.

Everyone stopped moving for a while. Then suddenly a weak, shaking voice sounded: "Here,"

Other parts of Hitch finally appeared. He turned to Maris. "Can we borrow her for a moment? We have a message for her."

Maris felt Hitch's uneasiness and realized the seriousness of the situation. "Amedda, you are free from this lesson. Go with commander Hitch."

Arido turned off her lightsaber and attached it to her belt while walking to the doorway. She stopped at the point where Maris could see her and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, mistress Brood." She said.

Maris was pleased by the frankness she heard in her voice. "Don't mention it, Amedda. May the Force be with you."

Arido nodded. "May the Force be with you, Mistress." She raised her head and turned to her fellows. "And with you all, guys," she added.

Then she left the room.

To'Kar gazed at Maris. "You know what happened, don't you?"

Maris smiled. "You don't?"

To'Kar looked other way.

''''

Arido stopped at the corridor. Hitch stopped, too, and dropped on one knee in front of her, so he could look into her eyes.

"What happened, sir?" she asked.

Hitch took off his helmet and sighed. His hair were shaved, except one narrow stripe of hair in the middle of his head. "Cadet Amedda – Arido – we just received a message from the hospital–"

Arido frowned. She knew it. "My father's dead."

Hitch nodded lightly. "I am sorry."

Arido stared at the floor below her feet. "How? What happened?"

Hitch gulped. "He – he was killed, Arido. Someone ordered his death."

"Poison?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Blaster. Full energy pack."

"Is he still recognizable? I mean his face-"

"Not much damaged. Just one shot in – uh, in forehead. This is supposed to be the fatal shot."

This time Arido gulped. "Can I see him?"

"Your mother is already here."

"Can you take me there? Please."

Hitch nodded. "Follow me," he said.

Arido followed.

''''

She was staring out to the flashing Coruscanti traffic. She tried to relax herself by counting all green airspeeders she saw, but it didn't work much.

Her mind was still fixed on one memory, quite recent one. Memory of the last conversation she had with her father. It was short time before the assembly, where Arido was accepted to the EIS. During that time her father admitted that most likely the assassination attempt committed on him was ordered by Vader. Arido vowed that she will take vegenance on Vader. She went on that assembly so she can get closer to him and kill him. When she stayed at the room alone with him after the first meeting of all cadets and Vader, she was intent that she will shoot him, but then... something hindered her from it.

What? The thing her father said right after her vow was said...

"_My little," he said. "You have to understand. This is another world that the one you live in. That's the world where all your deeds depend on your loyalties. I understand that Vader tried to kill me. I am sure he ordered Armand's assassination, too."_

"_What are you talking about, dad?" she asked then._

"_I spent most of my life in service of Palpatine. My loyalty is to him. Vader killed him and took over his place, but my loyalty still stays with him. When he made Palpatine his enemy, Vader made me his enemy. And he knows it. This is why he has to get rid of me."_

"_But-" she tried to say something, but he interrupted._

"_No but, Arido. Think about it. Think about it from his point of view. He can't just let his enemies live and conspire against him. You wouldn't, too."_

"_But it's you-"_

"_Don't try it, Arido. Don't try to avenge me."_

"_Why?"_

"_For first – it would be too dangerous. You just can't make it out. I don't say you're not strong enough, but you would make too powerful enemy if you tried to kill him, even if you succeeded."_

"_And the second?"_

"_Second is that, my dear Arido, you are Amedda. Amedda family was always loyal. Every time. My father, my grandfather, and my grandgrandgrandmother were all loyal to the Galactic Republic and never staggered in their loyalty to it. I was loyal to Palpatine and to his cause to unify the Galaxy under his hand. Was loyal to the Galactic Empire. And I will be until my death. You should be, too. Remember Arido, you're pure Amedda and your first loyalty is to the Empire."_

"_The best I can do for the Empire is killing the cursed bastard..."_

_He offered her one of his unusual smiles. "You didn't let me finish the sentence, Arido. Your first loyalty is to the Empire. And to anyone who leads it."_

Arido scowled and threw her hood up. _And to anyone who leads it._

She tapped the lightsaber at her belt, at which she swapped the crystal for the one from Gni's real lightsaber. He didn't even notice.

Her voice sounded almost mature, when she said, "Family ties come second."

''''

Padmé lied beside Anakin, wrapped in his arms.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she asked him, lovingly playing with his sleeve.

"What?"

She flinged her head back to look at him. "We're finally alone again. Not like a Senator and Jedi, not like Empress and Emperor, just like a wife and husband."

He kissed her forehead. "I dreamt about you every night I had to sleep alone."

She smiled. "I've missed you, too." She turned her face away again and laid her head on his shoulder.

Shadow of doubts crossed Vader's mind. Should he tell her? Tell her that most likely her son is going to fall to the dark side?

He hid his face in her hair, and smelled the soft, sweet fruity scent of them.

He don't need to tell her everything, after all.

"Padmé?" he said and tried to keep the weak guilt he felt out from his voice.

"Yes, dear?"

"I had another vision. In my fighter, when I fell unconscious."

"Yes?"

"Yeah. I... I've seen Luke in it."

She turned to look into his face. "Lukey? Our son Luke?"

He smiled when he seen her excitement. "Yes. Doubtlessly."

She smiled, too. "How old was he?"

He shrugged. "Sixteen, eighteen..."

"So a young man already?"

"Yes."

"I hope I will..." she bit off the end of the sentence.

"Be alive to see him in this age?"

She didn't answer, but her face showed the answer.

"I do, too." He said.

She looked up and searched his face, maybe for any sign of aging in it. "You hope that I will be alive to see it, or that you will?" she asked.

He drew aside one dark lock of her hair what fell into her face and put it behind her ear. "Both, ofcourse."

She smiled at him. "How will he look like?"

"A bit like me in my youth. But nicer, naturally."

"You mean fair hair, big, blue eyes and stubborn expression on his face?"

He shook his head lightly and laughed. "Not that stubborn, but yes."

"I hoped one of them will be like me."

He smiled and hugged her tighter. "Don't worry, Padmé, I am sure Leia will look like your clone," he teased her.

She rubbed her face against his chest. "You're weird."

He laughed. "This is what you love about me, right?"

"Yeah. Exactly what I love," she said and kissed him.

He kept his lips on hers and tried to draw her closer without exasperating his leg injury.

And then, as usually when Padmé and Anakin try to... try to... want to be alone, someone went into the room.

Padmé drew back from him and hopped up to standing position in a flash, blushing all the time.

Tarkin went into the room, checking their mood silently. It was not hard to see that Padmé feels embarrassed and that one third of Anakin is angry because he interrupted, the second one is disappointed, because he missed a chance to be lone with his wife, and the third, obviously, was anxious to know what such important happened that Tarkin went in despite Padmé's handmaidens, deployed outside as guards, who were shouting at him, and without knocking and the first thing he always did, without notification. He was, after all, this official type.

"Oh, Admiral Tarkin," Padmé said and she somehow managed to sound cheerful. Or was she cheerful? That kind of thoughts really bothered Anakin. "We... we didn't awaited you. What is that due to?"

"I am sorry that I am interrupting – into whatever you did there-" this was said almost boldly, and Anakin promised himself he will ask him once why he sounded so annoyed. "However, I am a carrier of bad news."

Anakin sat down. "What happened, Admiral?"

"I've just been called. Mas Amedda is dead."

A shock crossed Padmé's face, and Anakin saw that she is struggling not to glance back at him.

"He didn't make it?" she asked, "They said that he will be okay."

Anakin noticed the stiffness of his face, and he was half sure that he knows what he done. And is feared that the same will happen to him. He couldn't keep his mouth from twitching, but managed to stop it from locking in huge grin.

Tarkin still kept a cool face. "Urn... not exactly, madam. Few hours ago, an unknown woman enforced access to the private sections of Coruscant hospital, killed the guards at Amedda's room and opened a fire on him. His body was... to pieces. Then she entered the ventilation system and disappeared. His body was found by a doctor on ward round."

Padmé's eyes widened. "That's terrible!"

Tarkin nodded. "Yes. But if it will help, he didn't suffer. First two hits, if we can say, were precisely aimed at heart and at metopic parts of brain. He died in an instant."

Padmé closed her eyes and turned her face away, both from Tarkin and Anakin.

"Was his family already informed?" Anakin asked.

Tarkin nodded again. "Yes, his wife and daughter should be on their way to the hospital by now. I already handled this."

Padmé swept her face with her palm and turned back to Tarkin. "Thank you, admiral. It's nice from you." She sniffed stilly. "That I don't have to tell them by myself."

Tarkin bowed his head a bit. "I am always at your service, my lady."

Padmé smiled a bit. Vader twitched.

"Anything else we should know?" he asked.

Tarkin shrugged. "Maybe. Madam Isard sent some of her intelligence officers to recover the body of the traitoress from the Betrayal and secure eventual clues leading to the ones behind this attack."

"And behind Kenobi's escape," he added.

"And behind this, of course."

Vader raked his hair absently. "Can you please call her and tell her that if she finds out anything, I want to be the first one to know it? Rhea still didn't get me that communicator she promised to bring me."

"Of course," Tarkin replied, "I can fetch you the comm, too, it you wish."

Vader shook his head. "It's okay. Just leave it on her."

"Sure, sir."

Padmé entered the incoming silence. "Anything else, admiral?"

Tarkin's head turned to her. "Not at all, I suppose, my lady."

"Than you are dismissed, Admiral Tarkin. You can go." She said.

Tarkin bowed, just lightly, not much low, and just to Padmé and turned to leave.

"And thank you once more." She said after him.

Door slid to the side and Tarkin left. Padmé took a deep breath and turned to Anakin.

He looked at her searchingly. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

She shook her head and smiled. "Not really. But... it's nice you noticed."

"You want to go and offer your sympathies to Lissine Amedda, do you?"

Her smile faded. "I think it's my duty," she said. "After all, it's our fault he's dead."

"Still blame me for it?" he asked.

"No." She sat on the bed. "I thougt about it, and... I know it will sound selfish, but... if not he, it would be you."

"You mean dead,"

She nodded. "He was one of Palpatien's buddies, and that makes him an enemy of yours."

"Made him."

She laid her hand on his cheek. "Just promise me you are not doing that just for fun."

He laid his hand on hers. "What do you think about me? I am doing this for you, for kids..."

"And for the lasting of your rule, I suppose."

He shrugged. "For the lasting of our rule."

She drew her hand back. "I should go."

He sighed. "And another nice while is gone."

She leaned and kissed him. "There will be another one."

He took her hand. "You promise?"

She smiled. "I promise. You will spend a lot of time at home..." she said and laid her hand gently on his thigh. "With this."

"They will replace it, right? I will be able to walk without limping."

She grinned. "And what makes you think I will let you travel over the galaxy before you will fully recover?"

His eyes widened. "The fact that you love me... or so I hoped."

Her grin didn't fade. "Isn't that a reason for keeping you at home?"

He frowned, but half playfully. "I hope it isn't."

She smiled and her hand wandered to her necline, then downwards and ran under cummerbund what kept her silver-white dress together. He watched its trace fascinately, but kept his fascination out of his face, the only trace of it in the sparkles in his eyes.

"And there are few another things that can – maybe – keep you at home." She said.

He shook his hand and grinned amusedly. "That's emotional chantage!" he said.

She grinned a bit, too, and shrugged. "I'm learning,"

One of his brows shot up. "From who?"

She shot her tongue at him. "Secret."

He put his hand under his head. "Damned. I hoped I can learn it, too."

Her hand under the sash moved, unlacing it a bit. "It's simple."

"Don't tease me, dear. You don't have time for the things you are provoking me to do."

"I can make my time. I can say that, probably, we got the message from Tarkin – fifteen minutes later than we actually did, shall we say?"

He lunged forward, to her, locking her in his embrace.

"What are we waiting for, then?"

She smiled and put her hand on his chest. "For your promise. Promise me you won't do anything dangerous, that you will stay on Coruscant all the time you will need to recover. And yes, I said Coruscant."

He looked at her. "Or else?"

She leaned her head on one side. Her expression said: Isn't it clear?

He shook his head. "You're terrible, Padmé."

"I am learning, as I said."

"So I promise," he said, smiled and kissed her.

''''

_**Back at EIS academy...**_

"Okay," Maris said loudly.

Even with unexpected absence of Arido, Maris insisted on the training duels. Cal, who paired with Arido initially, was now waiting for his new opponent, which Maris decided that will be the first one to lose his battle and stay unharmed.

"The first duel will be between... Lilliah Assika – if I remember well –"

Lill grinned. "You do."

Maris continued. "And Galen Marek."

Galen's head turned to the side a bit, and he looked at Lill with open amusement.

Maris didn't pay attention to their silent conflict of egos. She moved to the side of their mat and typed few notes to the datapad she held. "If we are going to stick to the traditions, you will bow to each other before the duel." She said.

Lill crossed her hands in wrists, laid them on her chest and bowed to Galen. Galen grinned and bowed just his head.

Maris wasn't as amused as his fellow cadets. "Properly," she snarled and gave him a little push with the Force, what forced him to bow deeply.

Galen endured this apparent reproach with coldness that impressed Maris, but she didn't show it anyhow.

Lilliah slowly took her opening position, turning a bit, so she showed her side to her enemy, lightsaber held in the covered right hand, its tip aimed down, at the mat.

Galen studied her for a hunderth of a second, and then responded to her obviously defensive stance by his own, holding his lightsaber in front of him, horizontally, its tip aimed to the right.

Maris smiled, and then, intuitively more then willingly, whispered, "Fight."

Galen burst forward, swinging his blade to Lilliah's unprotected back quickly. Lilliah swiftly turned and raised her blade during the turn. Blades met with a fizzing sound. Galen stepped backwards, freeing his blade, and made a low horizontal blow. His blade was caught by hers, as she blocked it skilfully. Galen freed his blade once more, this time making a precise diagonal lunge. If this lunge worked, and Galen had a real lightsaber, the blow would cut Lill from hip to armpit. But none of these demands was there, as Lilliah drew back from his blade and blocked it again. This time Galen didn't try to free his blade, or didn't that as quickly, and Lilliah saw her chance. Her lightsaber dived, freeing itself and making Galen lose his balance. She ducked, made a quick and graceful spin in which she stood up again and with all the kinetic power she gathered during the spin hurled her blade toward Galen's chest.

Galen saw that the blow is too violent for him to parry. Lilliah was taller and stronger. The blade proceeded quickly. He raised his right hand with his lightsaber to block the blow, and raised his left.

Lightsaber slipped of Lilliah's hands as she shot backwards. She ended two or three meters from Galen and from the mat, on her back, moaning. The lightsaber hit the Galen's, he blocked it and caught it. With two lightsabers in his hands he walked toward Lilliah, who breathed with difficulty. He aimed one of the blades on her chest.

She whispered something.

"What?" he asked.

She said it again, even more quietly than before. He lent to her.

A grin crossed her face as she tightened and her both legs sprang up and kicked him in the stomach. He gasped and it forced him to make few steps backwards. Lilliah leapt up on her feet, though it was obvious it was painful for her. She launched forward at him, kicking the lightsaber out of his right as he recovered from her kick. She summoned the lightsaber into her hands. Galen straightened up slowly.

Maris' brow shot up. She's waiting? She had countless chances to make the final blow.

As Galen raised his blade again, showing that he is prepared to continue, she hit his blade vigorously with her own, blowing the hilt out of his grasp. Lilliah smiled and turned off her lightsaber.

"Fight isn't over," Maris spoke up.

Lilliah turned a bit to make a perfect stance for another kick.

"I know," she replied.

Galen, aghast by the sudden change in her tactics, was unable to avoid the kick in the chest he received, collapsing to the floor. Lilliah walked to him, laying her black-booted foot on his chest, carefully avoiding some sneaky kicks from his side. Then she raised the lightsaber in her hilt and, holding it reversely, ignited it and placed the blade's tip precisely below his chin.

Her eyes turned to Maris. "And now?" she asked.

''''

**Author's Note:**

Another chapter is there, finally! I am proud of myself that I managed it, and I am ashamed that it isn't better :/ But no matter, it's here and yes, I know that nothing important happened in it. Or nothing at all? I am not objective when it comes to my work.

I wanted to make one note: Narusse Rhea is **not** related anyhow to Lady Olaris Rhea from the Lost Tribe of the Sith. Similiar family names are just a coincidence.

The fact that this chapter lacks something really important to the plot is the fact that it's another divided chapter. This and the next chapter were intended to be one, but then I needed some kind of end for this part of story when Vader is on Rodia, because then I want to continue with him back at Coruscant.

**And one more note:** The meetings of Luke, Jacen, and probably Ben with their Sith mentors are** purposely** not like the ones from books and these. When you change one thing in the past, you must change the future, too, right?

And this is all I hope, so peace, love and Sith,

**Darth M.O.Y.A.**

''''

Eh, this is a little favour to one of my friends, who reads all my chapters before everyone here on , and who wants to know what happened in the possible future when Ben and Ves jumped down from the building.

_As they fell, Ben finally saw the reason why Vestara fearlessly jumped down from a building with almost hundred stores. There was a ship few hundred meters below the window, it_'s top open to the cargo hold. Ben realized Vestara is holding their fall straight toward the open square in the ship's top. The hole was quite big, about three square meters, but Ben was a bit feared they will miss it anyway. But they didn't, and when they were about two meters above the floor of the cargo hold, Vestara let his hand go. She gave her body a little Force push upward and landed on the black knurled floor of the compartment with her usual grace. Ben did the same. His landing wasn't as elegant as hers, but it was as soft.

She glanced at him.

"So this was the first lesson?" he asked. "I've gone through worse things when I was thirteen."

She grinned. "Maybe."

He looked at her searchingly. "And you know it." He added.

Her grin faded. "See, Ben, I couldn't wait any longer in that office, but there was something I had to tell you. That's why I took you with me."

He frowned. "What did you have to tell me?"

"You just can't be a Sith, Ben. You are the Jediest Jedi I've ever known – if I don't count your father. Maybe you feel that you don't have the thing that holds Jedi at the light, but the lessons you taught in your life made you fear and hate the dark side as deeply as Sith admire it. Trying to become a Sith – from any purposes – would tear you apart."

"But..."

"I know you can forgive anything, but I know – I feel – that fear isn't the thing that tells you not to do that. Deep in yourself, you know that it's a bad idea."

Ben considered it. Then he looked at the woman next to him. "You aren't Vestara, are you?" he asked.

She smiled. "I'll throw you out somewhere near the Temple. You can go and find yourself a nice blond human Jedi and have lots of blond kids with her."

For Vani

Decama


	15. Chapter 11: Hey, sorry

"Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Used-to-be Anakin Skywalker."

Vader smiled. "You got old, former High General."

"You too, former Jedi Padawan."

"You have to acknowledge that it made more good to me than to you, Kenobi."

Obi-Wan shrugged. "It's possible. Though I haven't noticed."

"You are less polite than last time, Kenobi."

"The life of an outcast never helps your upbringing."

"Possible. I never experienced it."

"Oh, sure. You lived just as a slave. This is much better than outcast."

"Definitely calmer."

"Hum."

"Miss your hand, Kenobi?"

"You do?"

"I have the cybernetic one."

"I have the left one."

"This is something else."

"In the Force, it is the same."

"Don't play with me, Kenobi."

"I am not playing with you, Anakin."

"I am not Anakin anymore."

"Lost your identity? Force helps to find it."

"I found my _real_ identity. I am Darth Vader."

"You boast about that Sith title?"

"Yes, for I am a Sith."

"You are just misled Jedi, Anakin."

"I am not Jedi, Kenobi. I abandoned Jedi when I accepted Sidious as my master."

"Sidious? Still being his pet?"

"No."

That surprised him. "No?"

"No. I killed him."

That didn't. "Really? When?"

"When I came back on Coruscant."

"Why?"

"As you said, I didn't want to be his pet for the rest of my life."

"This is not everything. What next?"

"Padme persuaded me to kill him and do the mankind a little favour."

"That must be a lie. Padme can never order a murder."

"She didn't _order_ it. She determined it as a last chance to stop him till it's too late."

"Maybe that's right, but murder?"

"Clear assassination. It's wonderful how she can adapt herself to the situation."

"No it's not. She can't just let you kill someone and act as if nothing had happened."

"She can, as you can see. And I think that she enjoys being an Empress."

"Empress? Anakin, what have you done? What did you think?"

"I saved the galaxy, old-fellow."

"You went insane. Padme did, too. What happened to you both?"

"Padme is okay. She is…sane. Sometimes it really bothers me."

"Do you want her to be insane?"

"It's easier to keep in with her when she is...upset."

"So she was upset when she forced you to kill Sidious?"

"She didn't have to _force _me to do it. And what problem do you have?_ You_ tried to kill _me_."

"I didn't want to _kill _you, Anakin! I was not _able _to do it! You were like my brother!"

That astonished him. "No? So what you wanted to do?"

"Disarm you and imprison you. So we can have a time to force you to come to senses." Obi-Wan explained.

"H'm." Vader became a bit unassured. "What about Padme?"

"Wassup with her?"

"I mean the poison. Why? Why her? Why that time? For what purposes?"

"Hum...poison? I don't know anything about any poison, but..."

"You don't?" Vader assured himself.

"No." Obi-Wan took him a word.

_So Sidious? Oh, you dirty son of a bitch..._ "I wish you a nice rotting, Kenobi. Adieu," Vader said and quitted.

ˆ''ˆ

"Nice disguise, Liliah." Gni grinned.

Liliah patted a silky flyaway skirt. "You think so?"

"I think I like it." Gni answered and set up his belt.

"I could expect that." Liliah tossed and stopped styling her dancer disguise. She was dressed in adorable and short black shirt, what was more a band draped over breast than a real shirt. Her skirt was longer, but had two wide splits what showed her white, slim legs.

Gni looked like a very young rifleman. Black suit, hidden face and long blaster rifle on his back. "What about me?"

"When I don't count in your age – perfect." She replied.

"Thanks."

They both turned back as a tall man went in. Black eyepatch on right eye, otherwise a normal man, nothwithstanding that he looked like a pirate. It wasn't in his physical appearance, but he just had an aura of recklessness, so peculiar to pirates.

"Hello." He said.

"Hello, master." Liliah, who realized it earlier, said.

"Nice disguise. I guess at least on two thousand credits." Vader said to Lil.

Liliah smiled. "Thanks, master."

"Can you dance?"

"Quite." She experimentally waved her hips. "Do I need to?"

"I hope you won't, but if something will go wrong, you will have a chance to survive longer."

"Encouraging, master." She grimaced.

Vader shrugged his shoulders. "And you, Gni... nice, too. Can you shoot?"

"No, never tried it." Gni answered. "Just today, but at a close range and not from rifle."

"H'm... that's not very good, but we can settle with that."

Liliah hid her lightsaber under her skirt. "Once again, master. What are we going to do?"

"Make use of the fact that practically no one knows how the Emperor looks."

"And the plan is…?"

"Just play it with me. Adapt yourself to the things I will say and simply try to protect yourself. Lightsabers out just in extreme cases."

"Play what?" Gni asked.

"The variety show we will play to Jabba." Vader answered.

"Jabba the Hutt?" Liliah asked.

"Yes, to him. We are going to his palace here. I want to see to some imperial business with him. However, I can't do it as an Emperor; how else."

"You are going to negotiate with him?"

"More or less. The most important people in Republic weren't the leaders, however, but wealthy people with influence in the Senate. Jabba was one of them. This partly remined in Empire, too, so I want to deal with it. Simply and cleanly. No dirty work here. The step one is to make Jabba Desilijic Tiure my ally."

"Why should he agree?"

"I can order my Intelligence and Security to stop investigating him and leave him a free hand on the black market. Alliance with imperials can be useful for him."

Gni tapped on his chin. "H'm, maybe. Why are you taking _us _with you?"

"Better two disguised unexperienced apprentices than five disguised _clone troopers_."

"Uh, yea. Same faces. Sure."

"In addition, I want to show you how to negotiate."

"But why you don't go there by yourself?"

"There is a negligible chance that this entire "no dirty work" thing will not work and Jabba will not agree. In that case I want to approach a negotiating tactic I call "aggressive negotiatons". I would need you for that."

"Okay, master, I think we understand." Liliah nodded.

"Okay, so to finish it: My alias will be Lars Quell. I already used it once. And your's and Gni's will be Maku and Nik."

"Why am I disguised as a dancer? This can be jsut dangerous."

"See, they will watch Gni cause of his rifle and me cause of my blasters, but who will be afraid of little unarmed dancer?"

Lil smiled. "No one."

"Hide as much weapons in your dress as you will be able to, Liliah. I am going. I will pick you up later."

"Yes, master." Kids said.

Vader left the room. Liliah started to search for a good stowaway forsome blasters and Gni played with his rifle.

"Hum, Lil?" Gni made himself heard after while.

"Yea, Gni? Wassup?" she asked and thrusted a blaster into a gap between her leg and black band wrapped around it.

"Erm...I have never thought about it like that, but... have you looked at his face properly anytime?"

"In a way. He doesn't look bad, well? Too bad he is too old for me." She smiled.

Gni shook his head. "Oh, come on, Lil! I meant his look! I'll bet that our dear master is _Anakin Skywalker_."

Lil shrugged. "I have seen it, too. What's the matter? The most important thing now is that he is our master. And needs our help."

"He was a Jedi. And don't Jedi say that they don't rule the others? Abandon the dark side and that? And when he was a Jedi, why is he married?"

"That's his problem I think. Maybe he left the order. To marry Amidala. Or to accept the Sith training and traditions. Remember, Dooku was a Jedi, too. Don't look that it matters much."

Gni laid his rifle and stood up. "Maybe you're right." He said and looked straight into her eyes. "You are really smitten with him, Lil. Clear up! This is idiocy and it can do just problems."

"Not just problems, hotshot. Fun. It makes fun to me."

"What do you like so much on him? He is quite a mongrel. And I don't think he is that much smart as he pretend to be."

"He is handsome and powerful and older and unattainable for me. Everything girl can want."

"This is why you look at him this way?"

"What way?"

Door opened.

"Prepared, kids?" Vader asked.

"Yes, master. Everything is hotsy-topsy," Liliah smiled and grinned on Gni.

ˆ''ˆ

"Whoa! Yea!" Liliah yelled with excitement.

Anakin cut another corner. They ran low above sand through the desert. They had just two speeders, so Liliah had to go with Anakin.

He enjoyed it. He was at the drive again and liked it. He didn't bother with stepping on the gas; he just pushed it down and held it there. He amused himself by doing the slalom driving and making a sharp turns. Poor Gni had to stomp on it heavily if he wanted to follow them. Liliah tightly held her master's waist and laughed and shouted all the time. She loved it.

Gently rising slope of the hill suddenly ended and a sheer downway appeared. Speeder's nose banked down in a flash and they rushed down in a flash. Anakin just had to join Liliah's excited "Wow!".

"Whee! Where are you, Gni, you gutless one? Feared of the fast drive?" she shouted backwards.

"No! I am just not mad!" Gni answered.

Liliah burst into laugh. "How far yet, master?" she asked.

Anakin raised his hand and pointed to the right. "Look," he said.

A few metres far form them, on the golden plain, a gigantic palace was situated. It was builded in a neutral style, without expressive architectonical elements. The thing that made the palace so impressive was its size.

Liliah bit her lips all the way to it so as not to start laughing or yelling again.

Anakin stopped by a skid so close to the wall of the palace that it was a miracle that they didn't hit it. Liliah reclined on his back and breathed deeply.

"You can stop holding me, Assika." Vader said and tried to hide his smile.

"Sorry, master. My hands are a bit numb." She apologized and drew off.

Vader jumped down and then helped Liliah jump down, too. Her hands and legs were too shaky to hold her. Vader underpropped her and they waited till Gni arrived, too.

"Sorry that I shook you out that way."

"No matter, master. I was great. Fascinating. Kicky. My god, I am babbling."

Vader smiled and gathered her up more tightly. "That's okay. Just stop speaking for a while, right?"

"Command, master."

Gni stamped on brake and stopped in front of them.

"Sorry that I'm late, sir. I am not much practiced in speeder driving."

"Nothing. Just come here and help Assika. She is a bit shaky."

"Yes, master."

Gni spanned Liliah's shoulders. She pushed him aside.

"I am okay. Go to pot!" she shouted at him.

Vader went to the gate not far from them.

"So, Lil, you enjoyed your ride?" Gni provoked her.

"Oh, go soak yourself." Liliah growled.

"You are totally gone, _commander Assika_." He whispered.

Vader stopped walking cause his commlink was breping. He raised a hand to stop his apperntices and then picked up the call.

"Oh, Padme, it's you." he said simply. _Is my wife going to watch me all the time?_

"Yes. You don't look much pleased by that." She threw a short searching look on him. "But it doesn't matter much now. I have a biggest problem now. Though he is hardly one-hunderd-fifty centimetres high."

"He is really a minikin I must say."

Padme tittered. "Of course, when I compare him with you…"

"Who's bothering you, Pam?"

She looked elsewhere. "Uh, the noxious hapan hag is still sending one of her minions to ask me when you are going to come back! I sware on all the gods that I trust in that if he comes _one more_ time, I will cut him to pieces!"

Anakin seemed amused. "My reserve lightsaber is in the box under bed."

"I think I am going to need it." She sighed. "I think that she is doing it purposedly to annoy me."

"I can't rule it out."

"So, I wanted to ask you... do you know - at least approximately – when you are coming back? I need to get rid of that pushful dolt and his missis."

"Tomorrow, soonest."

"Okay. I will send Corde to deliver it to Somi Kha. By the way... Senator Rhea spoke to the Senate short while ago. They were uneasy owing to your suggestion to start the blocade of Kashyyyk."

Vader gasped. "Suggestion? It was a command!"

"The one, who received your call had to take it worng, because Rhea put it to the Senate as a proposal."

"Damned, they rejected it, right?"

Padme looked elsewhere again. "Yes. Completely. There were...I think ten people that voted for "yes". Seems like that you have your supporters, too."

"Ten against whole Senate? I am never going to rule if I am going to ask the Senate for allowance all the time."

"Why did you want to make the blocade so much? Do you want it to end like on Naboo?"

"If there was no Blocade of Naboo, I would never meet you." He pointed out.

"We are speaking about Kashyyyk now. What problem do you have here?"

"A Jedi and wrath on him. I wanted him trapped, so I would be able to hunt him down easier. Did Senate know about this, too? That there is a Jedi threat?"

"I don't know; I was there just for the vote..."

A knock sounded from Padme's side.

"Oh my sith, he is here again..."

"Remember. A box under bed."

Padme smiled on him. "Of course, dear. I love you. Bye."

"Bye. Kiss Luke and Leia instead of me."

"Sure. We will wait for you, love"

She ended the call. Vader realiyed that she didn't say anything about his look thought he was disguised as a pirate. She had to be really upset.

Anakin put off the commlink and winked on his apprentices to follow him.

ˆ''ˆ

Padme tried to groom herself. The knock sounded once more.

"Okay, okay. Elle, open the door, please." She said.

Elle bowed quickly. "Yes, my lady."

The man in door was small, young and black-haired.

Padme called up the most glamorous smile she was able to. "Oh, mister Voroda. I haven't expected that you'll come."

"I'm sorry that I didn't announce to you that I am coming, but I was really in a hurry."

He really looked a bit breathless. Maybe it wasn't due to her impressive appearance.

"Why, mister Voroda? What happened?" she asked promply. With Anakin as her husband, she had a practice in this.

"My lady, Somi Kha, came to loggerheads with mister Bibble. Lady Kha is really obstinate sometimes and I am feared this can have a bad ending."

Padme raised her brows. "And where comes my part?"

Voroda looked on his shoes. "I wanted to ask you, if you can't go there with me and appear with some "weighty business" that can distract them."

Padme tapped on her desk. "You want me to lie because your lady is too hot-blooded to stay in peace with her inviter? This doesn't look much profitable from my side, mister Voroda."

"If you want to have a peace on your ground, you can count it as one of the profits."

"Maybe there would be more peace without your lady in my ward. Have you considered that?"

Voroda shook his head. "Not, my lady, but please, can you help me?"

Padme shook her head too. "You are so lucky I don't have any important business now, my dear."

Voroda smiled upon this title. "Thank you so much, my lady."

"Are you aware that I am not your lady at practise, or aren't you?"

"Yes, my... Empress Amidala."

"Plese, give me a while to prepare myself." She asked him.

"Yes, my lady. Right away." He said and left her office.

Padme looked at her face in the mirror. She wore the same white makeup she wore in her monarchal years. She hasn't worn it since the war. Dark hair in simple hairdo with elegantly ornamented tiara bordered her pale face with shiny, but weary eyes. Her blue dress showed her slim body as much as was necessary. She looked at the woman in front of her, weary of all this craziness. Then that jealousness came again in all its heat. When she compares her with the young, red-haired emphatic hapan girl... she wanted Anakin to be all hers. She cannot allow her to steal her husband.

"Everything alright, my lady?" Elle asked.

Padme arranged her dress and hair and then went to door to join Voroda. "Of course." She sighed stilly. "Of course."

ˆ''ˆ

Okay, so to throw light on the matter:

Anakin, Lilliah, and Gni, everyone alive, stood in the front of Jabba the Hutt, rounded by his guards.

Lilliah aimed the blaster she stole from her master at the head of one guard. Three more guards, included the one she aimed at, aimed their blasters at her.

Gni aimed his rifle at the guards aiming at Lilliah, trying to protect her. Few more guards aimed at him.

The rest aimed at Anakin, who aimed at Jabba.

"Looks like this situation is hard to solve, right?" Anakin asked with a grin.

"Not so hard, my bold fellow. We can shoot the boy, then you and then take the girl." Jabba replied.

"Touch her and I will shoot."

"Hah! Try it, Quell, and you are dead. And so is the boy."

"Why do you want Maku so much?"

"She is a yum-yum _cheeka_. I always loved the ones who can use their _wanga. _And she looks like little, lovely cream _lickmoomoo_."

"Isn't she too young for you, lord Jabba?"

"And she isn't for you, Quell? She is barely fifteen-years-old."

"She is eighteen. She just looks young." Anakin grimaced. Gni grinned, too. Liliah, who didn't understand a word in huttesse, just tried to look stubborn and not much shaky.

"Eighteen? Hmm..."

"I can offer you much better treat." Anakin tried it carefully.

"Yes? What?"

"A Twi'lek. Good dancer. Great food for your pets, lord Jabba."

"A Twi'lek, you say? Like last time? The last one was really amusing. She tried to beat my rancor! Hah! It was really funny. A little soppy girl trying to beat a rancor!"

"I am sure this one can be as amusing as Ono...the last Twi'lek. And I am sure you know her."

"Who is her?"

"Fa'ale Leh."

"Fa'ale Leh?"

"Yes, she. A pilot and a spice smuggler."

"She made me a big, big trouble once. It would be a pleasure to me to feed her to my sarlacc."

"And if you wish for more meal for your pets, I can afford you a Twi'lek thief, Daaylu Nikita. Or an arrested assassin Bod Wuhuk, if you don't depend on females."

"Are the imperial prisons so full that you need to get rid of these?"

"These all are...expendable ones. No one will need them anymore."

Jabba looked pensive, if it is possible. "Hm... Hm... The truth is that my pets need some meal. And they need it often."

"I can extend the deal. We can... provide you a feed for your... pets. Everytime you will need. We have more of these... no-hopers."

"And the Arkanian _cheeka_."

"No, no! She is not for trade, Lord Jabba, Maku is mine, not empire's."

"What do you say, ma- my dear Lars?" Liliah asked scaredly.

"We are negotiating, darling. Just wait for a minute." He said to her lovingly.

"My hand aches." She complained.

Jabba waved his little arms. "Not for a trade? Not for a trade? I can take her _anytime _I would want."

"This is true, my lord Jabba, but if you attack me, the alliance with imperials will fall. Mind all the benefits sequent on that."

"Hmm... you are brassy, Lars Quell, the empire's negotiator."

"I know. Can we lay our blasters down now?"

''

Padme walked thorugh the corridors of the Nubian Embassy with Voroda at her side. They were leaded by tall, grey-haired Nubian with aristocratic face.

She started to hear the quarrelling voices when they reached the third floor. When they got to the corridor with a big door to the stateroom, she even could pick out the word they said.

"_No way! Hapans were _no cowards_! They were _brave,_ beautiful, _respectable_ and _powerful_!"_

"_So why they have escaped the reality and builded their _"great fairy-taile-ish kingdom"_?"_

"_They wanted to escape the world of uncultivated fools who are meddling in politics and philosophy and _don't know anything about it!"

Padme looked around. She didn't know about that Bibble's opinion. If she did, she would never send Kha to his embassy.

"Kriff," she sighed.

"Hear it, my lady?" Voroda asked.

"Of course I do. Now I understand your uneasiness. Chume'da Kha sounds like she can start a war."

Voroda nodded. "She is really vigorous,"

Padme looked at him. The tenderness in his voice when he spoke about Somi told her that he has some delicate feelings for her. She considered if she can use it against them, when grey-haired Nubian knocked the door.

"Go away!" the voice sounded from the room.

"But, sir!"

"Ambassador said you to go away!" another voice sounded.

"But, sir, lady Amidala is here!" Nubian called.

"Lady Amidala?!" while of silence... "Let her in!"

Nubian turned to Padme and opened the door. "If you please,"

Padme nodded on him and walked into the room. Somi Kha sat in the armchair, gripping the prop tightly. Bibble sat across from her, in another armchair.

He stood up and bowed. "My Empress, to what we bound for your visitation?"

Padme smiled nicely. "Good afternoon, Ambassador Bibble, Chume'da Kha." She threw a short look on Somi Kha, who tried to stay back. "I have some business I must consult with you, Ambassador."

"Is it concerning Naboo?" Ambassador asked.

Padme caught it as an aid to expand her lie. She was never much good in improvisation. "Oh, yes." She nodded quickly.

Bibble looked at her pensively. "Why didn't you contact the new Nubian Senator, my lady?" he asked.

"I...eh... I thought that he is too busy now and that you can be able to help me more than he would be."

Bibble beckoned to her. "How can I help you, my lady?"

Padme had a looked at Somi. "Erm..."

He smiled understandingly and then turned to Somi. "Chume'da Somi Kha, would you be so kind and let us speak face to face?"

Kha threw a scornful look on Padme. "Oh, yes, of course." Seh answered slowly and stood up, looking still on Padme. Then she left the room, accompanied by Voroda. The old Nubian closed the door.

"So," Bibble said when the door slammed. "We're all alone. At least." He added with a foxy glaze in his eyes.

"Yes," she answered, suddenly feeling uneasy.

Bibble pointed at the armchair where Somi sat a while ago. "Do you want to have a sit, my lady?"

"Yes, that would be great." She said and sat down awkwardly in her dress.

He took post in the armchair opposite to her. "So, what is the matter you wanted to discuss with me?"

She bit her lip. "I...hmm... I wanted to ask you if you can't send some of your people on Naboo to have a look at my family." She rapped out.

He raised his brows. "On your family? Why?"

"Uh... you know, my family – the Naberrie House – it somehow an Imperial family now, right? And I am feared that they can be in danger now."

"You are feared that someone can try to assassinate them?"

"Yes. Or abduct them and try to force me to do something... something not much happy for Empire."

"You want me to arrange a security for them?"

"Yes. I want you to find my close family members and ensure their safety."

Bibble smiled. "And why did you choose _me_ to do that?"

"I think that you are a truepenny and that you have the necessary relations on Naboo. And we know each other for a long time. Your father was my advisor when I ruled and he was one of the people I trusted the most." _And Palpatine was one of them, too._

Bibble looked at her hand laid on his. She put it here within her speech. "I am glad that you trust me, my lady, but why me? Why don't you do it by yourself?"

_You think you are a smartie, do you? I just haven't thought it up yet. _"I..." she closed her mouth helplessly.

Bibble explored her face. "You don't want to talk about it?" he asked tactfully.

She nodded and tried to look unhappily.

"It will be a pleasure for me to ensure that." He assured her. Then he looked down bashfully. "I know that this is little bold to ask you such a private question, I know this is nothing to me, my lady, but... is it about your husband? I heard a lot about him and not everything was nice..."

Padme opened her mouth to start defending her husband, when someone knocked.

Bibble swallowed. "Yes?"

Old Nubian opened the door. "Mister Sate Pestage is here, Ambassador, and he wants a hearing."

Bibble looked on Padme. "I'll take him in after I will be done here, Cero." He said to him.

"Yes, sir." Cero said and bowed shortly.

Padme raised her hand. "Wait," she said.

"Yes, my lady?" Cero asked.

"You can let mister Pestage in, Cero. We are already done here."

"But..." Bibble looked confused.

"Thank you much for your consultation, Ambassador Bibble, I am much obliged to you." She stood up. Bibble jumped up immediately. "I hope we will meet each other again soon. Report me about that thing we discussed soon, well?"

He nodded, but still with upset. "Yes, my lady, of yourse."

She made a little bow. "Goodbye, Ambassador Bibble."

He repaid her bow. "Goodbye, Empress Amidala."

She walked away and Cero closed the door behind her. Sate Pestage, who was standing in the ante room bowed.

"My Empress," he said as a greeting.

"Mister Pestage, what are you doing here?" she asked.

Pestage straightened up. "Following orders, my lady. I am here to gain information from Ambassador Bibble."

"My husband's orders?"

"Yes, my lady."

"Can I know what you had to find out?" she asked carefully.

"Everything about madame Disha Pella, my lady." He answered.

"Disha Pella?" Padme tried to hide her jealousness. "Who is this…woman?"

"Right hand of the Ryloth senator, mister Kaas, my lady."

She raised her brows. "Why do you have to investigate her?"

He grimaced. "I would be grateful to know that."

"Ana...lord Vader hasn't told you what he needs it for?"

"Not even a word, my lady."

This was at least questionable.

"Okay. Have you already found anything?" she asked.

Pestage nodded. "Yes. Names of her parents and siblings, her life path, where she studied, ate, whos he spoke to, who are her friends, her enemies, her lovers..."

"Good job, mister Pestage."

"Thank you, my lady." Pestage said and these were his last words.

The window next to them exploded. Padme hid her face under arms. She heard a wet sound and a dull thud. Door opened. Cero and Bibble ran to her.

"Lady Amidala! My lady, are you alright?" Bibble asked terrifiedly.

"I...am...okay, I think. I'm just... scratched." She hurled and watched her arms. The little crocks of glass got stuck in her arms. Her right arm, leg and whole right half of her body was covered with little bleeding injuries.

Bibble smiled unhappily. "You were lucky, my lady." The he looked behind her shoulder. "He wasn't."

She turned. Sate Pestage lay on the floor in a little pool of blood. He had a big, nasty hole in his temle.

"My god," she gasped.

Bibble embraced her and slightly turned her from Pestage's corpse.

"Easy, Padme. It's okay, everything will be alright. No one is going to hurt you. It will be okay again. I am here with you." He whispered.

She was as white as a sheet. "Take me to the med droid, Ambassador, please." She sighed out.

Red-haired head of Somi Kha appeared at the corner. When she saw the Pestage's corpse, she just shook her head, but when she saw Padmé in Bibble's arms, her eyes narrowed.

Bibble took Padmé tenderly away from Pestage, down to the treatment room.

''

"Sir, Coruscant sent us the reinforcements you required." Trooper reported.

"Okay, Niner. Wait there for us. We are coming." Lilliah said to the commlink, turned it off and then surrounded her master's waist with her hands again.

He didn't push the speeder forward as heavily as he did before, but the ride was still quite fast.

"What they said?" Vader asked her.

"The reinforcements from Coruscant have just arrived." She answered.

"Great."

"Hm... master?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry for that... I did in the palace."

"What exactly?"

"That I took your blaster."

He smiled. "That was nothing. And it was fairly clever, my apprentice. If they picked you this blaster, you would still have the weapons you hid from them."

"That's true, but still... it isn't nice to steal a blaster form Galactic Emperor."

"I am primarily your master."

"And it doesn't matter if you rob your master?"

"You just borrowed my weapon, Lilliah. You haven't robbed me."

She tried to draw away from him, but not fall from the speeder, but she failed. He caught her and pulled her back up to vertical position.

"And this is not a proper reason to commit a suicide, right?"

"I'm sorry."

"You have to be glad more then sorry. I could let you fall."

''

Padmé stroked her bandages absent-minded.

"Are you sure you are okay, my lady?" Bibble asked her. She noticed that he didn't call her "Padmé".

"Yes, Ambassador." She answered blankly.

"Can I do something for you?" he asked.

"Can you call up Breha Organa? Ask her if my kids are alright." She asked him.

"For sure. Do I have to send a message to your husband?"

She shook her head. "No, it's not necessary. I'll call him. Just call Breha, right?"

"Yes, my lady."

"Thank you, Ambassador."

"You can call me..."

"Can you go now, _Ambassador_, please? I think that I need to have a rest."

"Yes, my lady. Have a... nice rest." He said and left.

The clouds of pain wandered through her head and clashed with the clouds of doubts. But there was a one thing she knew. Pestage's dead. Is her husband behind it? She planned that she will call him right after she gets rid of the annoying Ambassador, but now she was so tired...

Her head fell on the bed and she slowly fell asleep.

She opened her eyes with difficulity.

"My lady..."

She recognised the still voice of her handmaiden Ellé.

"My lady, are you able to go with us?"

This was Cordé.

"We thought that you could want to have a sleep in your own bed."

Versé.

"Hrm..." she muttered.

"Do you want us to help you get up?" Cordé asked.

"Uh...yes...please." Padme mumbled.

Two pairs of hands griped her shoulders and arms lightly and gently lifted her to sitting.

"Eh...are you okay, my lady? You are so pallid..." Ellé asked her sheepishly.

"Yes. I'm just tired out and... yeah, maybe a bit shocked too."

She wasn't very sure if the things she said made any sense.

Corde along with Verse helped her to stand up.

Padme didn't remember anything from the way, expect the while of bright mind when Ellé gently shook her shoulder and said:

"Lady? I met Ambassador Bibble. He called madame Organa and she said that Luke and Leia are both okay. Sleeping like little angels."

''

Obi-Wan Kenobi sat in his cell, meditating. This was the only one thing this cell allowed him to do, because the mechanism in his handcuffs released a weak electric current in his arms everytime he got too near to the entry.

He heard opening doors and light steps. And a dark cloud in the Force. Someone switched off the door system.

"Oh, Anakin, you came to visit me again?" he asked, not opening his eyes at all.

The voice was so smooth that Obi-Wan had a feeling tha someone is tenderly rubbing his back with a scrubbing-brush. "No."

The voice was faintly familiar. _Oh Force, this must be..._ He opened his eyes and looked at the woman standing in the entrance. "Nice to meet you again..."

Woman raised her hand and destroyed the camera in the corner with her lightsaber.

"Ventress." Obi-Wan completed the sentence.

Woman smiled. "The pleasure is all mines, my dear Obi-Wan."

''

Lilliah drew out the communicator from her master's pocket and picked up the incoming call.

A hologram of Empress Amidala appeared.

Lilliah's eyes almost popped out. "Uh...Empress Amidala, my lady..." she stammered.

Amidala looked on her narrowly. "Who. Are. You."

Lilliah almost tried to bow, but then realized that she is still sitting on a speeder. "Uh... Lilliah Assika, I am the EIS cadet, my lady."

"Why do you have lord Vader's communicator? Is he alright?" she somehow could sound strict even when she asked that.

"Yes, my lady. Alright, but he is driving now and don't have free arms."

"Okay. Tell him, please, that I want to speak to him."

Lilliah reclined. "Uh... sir? Lady Amidala is calling. She wishes to speak to you."

He threw a short look back on her. "Tell her that I don't have time." He said.

"I am sorry, my lady, but he is a bit busy now." Lil delivered it to Padme.

Padme crossed her hands. "But I need to speak to him. Now. Face to face."

"Uh...sir?"

Anakin breathed out. "I heard her, Lilliah."

Speeder stopped in an elegant curve.

"Tell her that I'll call her in a while." He said.

"My lady..." Lilliah started.

"I heard him." She interrupted. "Rush your work, okay? See you."

Her hologram disappeared.

"Okay, jump down, Lilliah. We will wait for Gni."

"Yer, master, right away." She said and jumped on the hot Tatooine sand.

Gni was there in a minute.

"You will take Lilliah with you and you two will go back to the Betrayal." He ordered to them. "Assign someone to escort the captives to Jabba. Then wait for me. I'll be there soon."

"Yes, master. For the Empire!" they said, Lilliah got onto Gni's speeder and they went away.

Anakin waited till his two apprentices weren't anything but a whirl of sand and then took his communicator and called Padme.

"Hello, dear... oh, are you alright?" he asked her when he saw her bandages.

Her face was hard like a stone. "Well, _I_ am."

"Uh... have I done something?"

"I think you did. But... the truth is that I am not so sure about that."

"What happened, Padme? If someone attacked you, I _promise _that I am not behind that."

"No. They haven't attacked me." She breathed out tiredly. "I was just at a bad place in a bad time."

"What happened to you?"

She raised a hand with bandages. "This? These are just scratches. Got hit by a broken glass, but Pestage is not as lucky as I am."

"Sate Pestage?"

"Do you know any other?"

"What happened to him?"

"Well, I think that he is antoher success for your plan of assassinating Palpatine's buddies."

"He's dead?"

"Yes, gunned down right in front of me. I can guarantee that this assassination attempt was successful. The hole he had in his head looked pretty mortal."

"You are cross with me?"

"No!" she yelped.

"So what do you want from me, Padmé?"

"I want you to tell me if that all is your fault." The truth was partially that and partially that she wanted him to commiserate with her.

"I am not dead sure, but I'd say that it is."

"Great."

"Hm...are you feeling okay, darling?"

"Yes. Totally." She said with a deep sarcasm in her voice. "I just saw how Pestage's head mushroomed and had to suffer a solicitous care of Nubian ambassador."

"He bugged you?"

"You don't have an idea how pushy he can be. I think that he likes me."

"Poor one. Uh... I think that I will be able to finish my business here and speak with this nagger by myself."

"Oh, this won't be necessary. Just come home. I need someone who can kiss my bumps."

He smiled. "Sometimes I wonder how you can change your mood in a minute."

"Speaking with you makes me much calmer, Ani. Okay, I need to have a sleep. Good night, dear."

"Good night, Padmé."

''

Obi-Wan walked through the corridors of Betrayal at Ventress' side. She changed her style pretty dramatically. Now she had short, brown hair and wore dark red dress.

"I always wondered where you disappeared," Obi-Wan thouched on.

"I wanted to break my bonds with Separatists. When I succeeded, I went back to Dathomir and helped Talzin restore the Nightsister cult. And when she died – smothered while sleeping, poor woman – I took her place as the Mother of Nightsisters."

"So now you are Mother Ventress?"

"Mother Kotaj. I took another name." She corrected him.

"And why are you here?"

"To rescue you, my dear Obi-Wan."

"I see that, but why?"

"You are a really powerful card in this game, my dear. Not jsut a regular pawn. I can't let you in Vader's hands."

"Um...what game?"

"When Vader ascended to the throne, everyone saw a chance to take over the galaxy in it."

"You too? You want to rule the galaxy?"

She smiled. "Why not?"

"How did you get onboard?"

"Easily. We assaulted the ship with reinforcements and took it. My Nightsisters took the clones their armor and then we attacked the little group in this ship. Nothing hard."

"But how did you know about them?"

"Obi-Wan, my dear, that I rescued you from a painful death don't necessary mean that I will tell you my whole genial plan."

They walked on the planet's surface. Ventress looked at a sand whirl heading to them.

"And who is this?"

"I am afraid that I know it."

''''''''

Author's note:

Long time waited, not much obtained, right? I don't know what I thought when I put Asajj there. Maybe I just wanted to free Obi-Wan, or make someone call him "my dear Obi-Wan". I really don't know.

Reviews, please.

Peace, love and Sith,

Darth Moya ˆˆ

Decama


	16. Names

Hey, guys, if anyone is reading this fanfic, would it matter if I change the fanfic's name? I have a quite good idea: Generations: Two Faces, of if no one would have a problem with it...

If ya have a problem, post in in reviews or write me a message, O.k.?

Moya...


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